42.
What
Is
the
Acronym
Elul
in
the
Work?
I
heard
on
August
28,
1942
In
order
to
understand
this,
we
must
understand
several
other
things.
-
The
matter
of
the
Malchuiot
[pl.
of
Malchut],
memories,
and
Shofarot
[pl.
of
Shofar,
a
ram’s
horn],
and
what
is
the
meaning
of
what
our
sages
said,
“Annul
your
will
before
His
will,
so
that
He
will
annul
His
will
before
your
will.”
-
The
words
of
our
sages,
“Evil—at
once
to
death,
and
righteous—at
once
to
life.”
-
The
verse,
“The
sons
of
Gershon,
Libni
and
Shimei.”
-
The
words
of
The
Zohar:
“Yod
is
a
black
dot
that
has
no
white
in
it.”
-
Malchut
of
the
upper
becomes
a
Keter
to
the
lower.
-
What
is,
joy
testifies
if
the
work
is
in
wholeness.
All
these
things
apply
in
the
preparation
of
the
month
of
Elul.
To
understand
all
the
above,
we
must
understand
the
purpose
of
creation,
which
is
said
to
be
because
He
wishes
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
And
because
of
the
Tikkun
[correction],
so
there
will
not
be
a
matter
of
the
“bread
of
shame,”
a
Tzimtzum
[restriction]
was
made.
And
from
the
Tzimtzum
extended
the
Masach
[screen]
by
which
the
vessels
of
reception
are
turned
into
bestowal.
When
the
vessels
are
prepared
to
be
in
order
to
bestow,
we
immediately
receive
the
light
that
is
hidden
and
treasured
for
His
creatures.
It
means
that
one
receives
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
was
in
the
thought
of
creation,
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
With
that
we
can
interpret
what
is
written,
“Annul
your
will
before
His
will,”
meaning
annul
the
will
to
receive
in
you
before
the
desire
to
bestow,
which
is
the
will
of
the
Creator.
This
means
that
one
will
revoke
self-love
before
the
love
of
the
Creator.
This
is
called
“annulling
oneself
before
the
Creator,”
and
it
is
called
Dvekut
[adhesion].
Subsequently,
the
Creator
can
shine
inside
your
will
to
receive
because
it
is
now
corrected
in
the
form
of
receiving
in
order
to
bestow.
This
is
the
meaning
of
“so
that
He
will
annul
His
will
before
your
will.”
It
means
that
the
Creator
annuls
His
will,
meaning
the
Tzimtzum
that
was
because
of
the
disparity
of
form.
Now,
however,
when
there
is
already
equivalence
of
form,
hence
now
there
is
expansion
of
the
light
into
the
desire
of
the
lower
one,
which
has
been
corrected
in
order
to
bestow,
for
this
is
the
purpose
of
creation,
to
do
good
to
His
creations,
and
now
it
can
be
carried
out.
Now
we
can
interpret
the
verse,
“I
am
my
beloved’s.”
It
means
that
by
the
“I”
annulling
my
will
to
receive
before
the
Creator
in
the
form
of
entirely
to
bestow,
it
obtains
“and
my
beloved
is
mine.”
It
means
that
My
beloved,
who
is
the
Creator,
“is
mine,”
He
imparts
to
me
the
delight
and
pleasure
found
in
the
thought
of
creation.
Thus,
what
was
hidden
and
restricted
before
has
now
become
disclosure
of
the
face,
since
now
the
purpose
of
creation
has
been
revealed—to
do
good
to
His
creations.
We
must
know
that
the
vessels
of
bestowal
are
called
YH
[Yod-Hey]
of
the
name
HaVaYaH
[Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey],
which
are
pure
Kelim
[vessels].
This
is
the
meaning
of
“All
who
receive,
receive
in
the
purer
Kli
[vessel].”
In
that
state,
one
is
awarded,
“and
my
beloved
is
mine,”
and
He
imparts
abundance
upon
him,
meaning
he
is
rewarded
with
the
revelation
of
the
Face.
Yet,
there
is
a
condition
to
this:
It
is
impossible
to
obtain
disclosure
before
one
receives
the
discernment
of
Achoraim
[posterior],
discerned
as
concealment
of
the
Face,
and
to
say
that
it
is
as
important
to
him
as
the
disclosure
of
the
Face.
It
means
that
one
should
be
as
glad
as
though
he
has
already
acquired
the
disclosure
of
the
Face.
However,
one
cannot
persist
and
appreciate
the
concealment
like
the
disclosure,
except
when
one
works
in
bestowal.
At
that
time,
one
can
say,
“I
do
not
care
what
I
feel
during
the
work
because
what
is
important
to
me
is
that
I
want
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator.
If
the
Creator
understands
that
He
will
have
more
contentment
if
I
work
in
a
form
of
Achoraim,
I
agree.”
However,
if
one
still
has
sparks
of
reception,
he
comes
to
thoughts,
and
it
is
then
hard
for
him
to
believe
that
the
Creator
leads
the
world
in
a
manner
of
“good
and
doing
good.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
letter
Yod
in
the
name
HaVaYaH,
which
is
the
first
letter,
called
“a
black
dot
that
has
no
white
in
it,”
meaning
it
is
all
darkness
and
concealment
of
the
Face.
It
means
that
when
one
comes
to
a
state
where
one
has
no
support,
one’s
state
becomes
black,
which
is
the
lowest
quality
in
the
upper
world,
and
that
becomes
the
Keter
to
the
lower
one,
as
the
Kli
of
Keter
is
a
vessel
of
bestowal.
The
lowest
quality
in
the
upper
one
is
Malchut,
which
has
nothing
of
its
own,
meaning
that
she
does
not
have
anything.
Only
in
this
manner
is
it
called
Malchut.
It
means
that
if
one
takes
upon
himself
the
kingdom
of
heaven—which
is
in
a
state
of
not
having
anything—gladly,
afterward,
it
becomes
Keter,
which
is
a
vessel
of
bestowal
and
the
purest
Kli.
In
other
words,
the
reception
of
Malchut
in
a
state
of
darkness
subsequently
becomes
a
Kli
of
Keter,
which
is
a
vessel
of
bestowal.
It
is
like
the
verse,
“For
the
ways
of
the
Lord
are
right;
the
righteous
will
walk
in
it,
and
transgressors
will
stumble
in
it.”
This
means
that
transgressors,
those
who
are
controlled
by
the
vessels
of
reception,
must
fall
and
crouch
under
their
load
when
they
come
to
that
state.
The
righteous,
however,
those
who
are
in
the
state
of
bestowal,
are
elevated
by
this,
meaning
by
this
they
are
imparted
vessels
of
bestowal.
(“Wicked”
should
be
interpreted
as
those
whose
heart
is
still
not
set
on
obtaining
vessels
of
bestowal,
and
“righteous”
means
those
whose
heart
is
already
set
on
obtaining
vessels
of
bestowal
but
are
as
yet
unable.)
It
is
as
The
Zohar
writes,
that
the
Shechina
[Divinity]
said
to
Rabbi
Shimon
Bar-Yochai,
“There
is
no
place
to
hide
from
you,”
and
this
is
why
she
appears
to
him.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
Rabbi
Shimon
Bar-Yochai
said,
“Because
of
this,
and
His
desire
is
upon
me.”
This
is,
“I
am
my
beloved’s
and
my
beloved
is
mine,”
and
then
he
bestows
upon
the
VH
[Vav-Hey].
This
is
the
meaning
of
“The
Name
is
incomplete,
and
the
throne
is
incomplete
until
the
Hey
bonds
with
the
Vav.”
The
Hey
is
called
“the
will
to
receive,”
which
is
the
last
and
final
Kli
in
which
the
Vav
will
bestow
into
the
Hey,
and
then
it
will
be
the
end
of
correction.
This
is
the
meaning
of
“Righteous—at
once
to
life.”
It
means
that
the
person
himself
should
say
in
which
book
he
wants
his
name
to
be
written—whether
in
the
book
of
the
righteous,
meaning
that
he
wants
to
be
given
the
desire
to
bestow,
or
not.
Since
one
has
many
discernments
regarding
the
desire
to
bestow,
meaning
that
sometimes
one
says,
“Yes,
I
want
to
be
given
the
desire
to
bestow,
but
not
to
completely
revoke
the
will
to
receive.”
He
rather
wants
both
worlds
for
himself,
meaning
he
wants
the
desire
to
bestow
for
his
own
delight,
as
well.
However,
only
those
who
wish
to
turn
their
vessels
of
reception
to
work
only
in
bestowal
and
not
receive
anything
for
themselves
are
written
in
the
book
of
the
righteous.
It
is
so
that
there
will
not
be
room
for
one
to
say,
“Had
I
known
that
the
will
to
receive
must
be
revoked,
I
would
not
have
prayed
for
it”
(so
that
he
will
not
say
afterward,
“This
is
not
what
I
had
sworn
to”).
Hence,
one
must
unreservedly
say
what
he
means
by
being
registered
in
the
book
of
the
righteous,
so
he
will
not
complain
later.
We
must
know
that
in
the
work,
the
book
of
the
righteous
and
the
book
of
the
wicked
are
in
the
same
person.
It
means
that
one
must
make
a
choice
and
clearly
know
what
he
wants
because
wicked
and
righteous
relate
to
the
same
person.
Hence,
one
must
say
if
he
wants
to
be
written
in
the
book
of
the
righteous,
to
be
immediately
for
life,
meaning
adhere
to
the
Life
of
Lives,
that
he
wants
to
do
everything
for
the
Creator.
In
addition,
when
he
comes
to
be
written
in
the
book
of
the
wicked,
where
all
those
who
wish
to
be
receivers
for
themselves
are
written,
he
says
that
they
should
be
written
there
to
death
at
once,
meaning
that
the
will
to
receive
for
himself
will
be
revoked
in
him,
as
if
it
had
died.
Yet,
sometimes
one
is
doubtful.
In
other
words,
one
does
not
want
his
will
to
receive
to
be
revoked
in
him
at
once.
It
is
hard
for
him
to
decide
at
once
that
all
his
sparks
of
reception
will
be
put
to
death
at
once,
meaning
he
does
not
agree
that
all
his
desires
for
reception
will
be
annulled
in
him
at
once.
Instead,
he
wants
the
sparks
of
reception
to
be
annulled
in
him
gradually
and
slowly,
not
all
at
once,
meaning
that
the
vessels
of
reception
will
operate
some,
and
some
the
vessels
of
bestowal.
It
follows
that
this
person
has
no
firm
and
clear
view.
A
firm
view
is
that
on
one
hand,
he
claims
“It
is
all
mine,”
meaning
all
for
the
purpose
of
the
will
to
receive.
On
the
other
hand,
he
claims
that
it
is
all
for
the
Creator.
This
is
called
a
“firm
view.”
Yet,
what
can
one
do
if
the
body
disagrees
with
his
view
of
wanting
to
be
entirely
for
the
Creator?
In
that
state,
you
can
say
that
this
person
does
everything
he
can
to
be
entirely
for
the
Creator,
meaning
he
prays
to
the
Creator
to
help
him
be
able
to
execute
all
his
desires
only
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
It
is
for
that
that
we
pray,
“Remember
us
for
life
and
write
us
in
the
book
of
life.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
word
“Malchut,”
meaning
that
one
will
take
upon
himself
the
quality
of
the
black
dot
that
has
no
white
in
it.
This
is
the
meaning
of
“Annul
your
will”
so
that
the
memory
of
you
will
come
up
before
Me,
and
then
He
will
annul
His
will
before
your
will.
With
what?
With
a
Shofar
[ram’s
horn],
meaning
with
the
Shofar
of
the
mother,
meaning
the
matter
depends
on
repentance.
In
other
words,
if
one
accepts
the
blackness,
one
should
also
try
that
it
will
be
in
an
honorable
manner,
and
not
in
a
disgraceful
manner.
This
is
called
“the
Shofar
of
the
Mother,”
meaning
that
one
will
regard
it
as
beauty
and
honor.
Accordingly,
we
should
interpret
what
is
written,
“The
sons
of
Gershon,
Libni
and
Shimei.”
If
one
sees
that
he
has
been
expelled
from
the
work,
one
should
know
that
this
is
due
to
Libni,
meaning
because
he
wants
specifically
whiteness.
In
other
words,
if
he
is
given
the
whiteness,
meaning
that
everything
one
does
will
shine,
which
means
that
he
will
feel
a
good
taste
in
the
Torah
and
in
prayer,
he
will
be
willing
to
listen
and
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments].
This
is
the
meaning
of
“Shimei.”
It
means
that
it
is
precisely
through
a
form
of
“whiteness”
that
one
can
hear.
However,
during
the
work
one
sees
a
shape
of
black
and
cannot
agree
to
hear
of
taking
upon
himself
this
work.
Hence,
he
must
be
expelled
from
the
King’s
hall,
for
reception
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven
must
be
unconditional
surrender.
However,
when
one
says
that
he
is
willing
to
take
upon
himself
the
work
on
condition
that
there
will
be
a
shape
of
white,
meaning
that
the
day
will
shine
for
him,
and
he
does
not
agree
if
the
work
appears
to
him
in
a
black
form,
this
person
has
no
place
in
the
King’s
hall.
This
is
because
those
who
wish
to
work
in
order
to
bestow
are
admitted
into
the
King’s
hall,
and
when
one
works
in
order
to
bestow,
he
does
not
mind
what
he
feels
during
the
work.
Rather,
even
in
a
state
where
he
sees
a
shape
of
black,
he
is
not
impressed
by
it,
but
he
only
wants
the
Creator
to
give
him
strength
to
be
able
to
overcome
all
the
obstacles.
It
means
that
he
does
not
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him
a
shape
of
white,
but
to
give
him
the
strength
to
overcome
all
the
concealments.
Hence,
those
people
who
want
to
work
in
order
to
bestow,
if
there
is
always
a
state
of
whiteness,
the
whiteness
does
not
allow
one
to
continue
in
the
work.
This
is
because,
while
it
shines,
one
is
able
to
work
even
in
the
form
of
reception
for
oneself.
Hence,
one
will
never
be
able
to
know
if
his
work
is
in
purity
or
not,
and
this
causes
him
never
to
be
able
to
be
awarded
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator.
For
this
reason,
he
is
given
from
above
a
form
of
blackness,
and
then
he
sees
if
his
work
is
in
purity.
This
means
that
if
one
can
be
in
gladness
in
a
state
of
blackness,
too,
it
is
a
sign
that
his
work
is
in
purity,
since
one
must
be
glad
and
believe
that
from
above
he
was
given
an
opportunity
to
be
able
to
work
in
order
to
bestow.
This
is
as
our
sages
said,
“All
who
are
greedy
are
angry.”
It
means
that
one
who
is
immersed
in
self-reception
is
angry,
since
he
is
always
lacking.
He
forever
needs
to
satisfy
his
vessels
of
reception.
However,
those
who
want
to
walk
in
the
path
of
bestowal
should
always
be
in
gladness.
This
means
that
in
any
shape
that
comes
upon
him
he
should
be
in
gladness
since
he
has
no
intention
to
receive
for
himself.
This
is
why
he
says
that
either
way,
if
he
is
really
working
in
order
to
bestow,
he
should
certainly
be
glad
that
he
has
been
granted
bringing
contentment
to
his
Maker.
And
if
he
feels
that
his
work
is
still
not
to
bestow,
he
should
also
be
glad
because
for
himself,
he
says
that
he
does
not
want
anything
for
himself.
He
is
happy
that
the
will
to
receive
cannot
enjoy
this
work,
and
that
should
give
him
joy.
However,
if
he
thinks
that
he
will
also
have
something
for
himself
from
this
work,
he
permits
the
Sitra
Achra
[other
side]
to
cling
to
his
work,
and
this
causes
him
sadness,
anger,
and
so
forth.