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This week’s reading begins with the words: “See! I have put before you today a blessing and a curse.”
This doesn’t seem to make sense, why would G-d put curses before the Jews? According to Judaism G-d is good. In fact, He is the source and definition of good. So why would He give us curses?
Also, this Shabbat we will usher in Elul – the last month of the Jewish year and the month of self-inventory. But what exactly this means is the subject of much debate. Some say this self-inventory must be done with weeping, others say with joy. What is the proper way? What do we have to be happy about anyway?
Finally, our Torah portion contains 54 commandments several of which deal with the false prophet; one who tells the future and even makes miracles, but tries to change the Torah and is punishable by death.
What is the connection?

To understand this, here is a story.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman Gurary was a well know man among the Chabad Chassidim. Besides being a successful businessman and an accomplished scholar he was known for his unique, positive personality and wide range of acquaintances.
Our story begins as he is entering the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s office for ‘Yechidut’.
One of the highlights in the life of a Chassid is ‘Yechidut’.
The mystical teachings of Chabad teach that the soul is very complex and has five levels; each deeper than the other. The deepest level is totally united to the Creator and is called ‘Yechida’: ‘unified’.
And that is why these private meetings are called Yechidut; because they are designed to awaken this ‘Yechida’ level.
Rabbi Gurary opened the Yechidus by telling the Rebbe of a fresh miracle;  a miraculous healing that occurred just hours earlier as a result of a blessing the Rebbe gave a month ago to a girl who had been declared terminally ill.
This was the story:
A month ago one of Rabbi Gurary’s many acquaintances told him a sad story.
He had a young daughter who was suffering from a severely inflamed abscess in her throat that the doctors said she needed to be operated on immediately but admitted that the operation would be a delicate one.
He heard that there were alternate methods, natural healings, perhaps better doctors, but something had to be done urgently and was going crazy with doubts as what to do. So he asked for Rabbi Gurary’s advice. Perhaps he knew of a better doctor.
Rabbi Gurary suggested something he hadn’t thought of; that he see the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
He explained that the Rebbe’s blessings were miraculous and his advice was always correct. The girl’s father was surprised. He hadn’t heard of such a solution; a Rabbi that cures? Although he had heard of these miracles, to him they were like Bible stories that weren’t really very real. But now his little daughter’s life was depending on them and he was confused.
But Rabbi Gurary was so certain that he agreed. But, being that it was urgent and also because he wasn’t an observant Jew, only on the condition that it be as soon as possible and that Rabbi Gurary accompany him.
The next day they went to the Rebbe’s headquarters; a large stately brick building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, told the Rebbe’s secretaries what they wanted and were granted Yechidut without waiting (often people had to wait months). That very night he, together with Rabbi Gurary, entered the Rebbe’s room.
They closed the door behind them. The Rebbe was very cordial, heard the problem and answered immediately. He blessed the girl with a ‘Refua Shelema’ a complete recovery and added that, in his opinion, they should wait three months till the Jewish month of Adar to make the operation. Adar is a lucky month for the Jews and so it would be for them.
The man shook his head in agreement, shot a pleased and grateful look at Rabbi Gurary as if to say, ‘this is real advice!’ and got ready to thank the Rebbe and leave. But the Rebbe continued.
“Tell me, where does your daughter learn?”
“Where?” he replied, “You mean in which school? Why, she learns in Shulamit (modern-orthodox Jewish school).
“I think you should transfer her to Bait Yaakov. That is a good Jewish school where she will learn Torah values and true Jewish ideals.”
But the man was not pleased. He just looked at the ground waiting for the Rebbe to finish so he could leave.
“I don’t understand,” The Rebbe continued. “My expertise is not in medicine but you came to ask my advice about medicine. My expertise is, however, education, that is the field to which I have devoted my entire life. And my advice is that you should enroll your daughter in Bait Yaakov.’
The man backed out of the room and went home happy as could be. He told his wife of the meeting, told her there was nothing to worry about and waited for the Rebbe’s blessing to kick in.
But it didn’t.
In fact, after a few weeks the girl’s state deteriorated so that she was rushed to the hospital again, but this time in very serious condition and high fever.
The girl’s mother and some other friends were beside themselves. They heard that the reason for all this was because the Lubavitcher Rebbe said to wait. They decided to act.
They drove to Crown Hights to complain to the Rabbis and leaders of the community that their Rebbe was mixing into matters that he did not understand. The girl was dying. Obviously, his blessings and advice weren’t working and now the doctors said there was nothing they could do until the fever and infection subsided. And who knew if it ever would! They were very angry!
When Rabbi Gurary heard this, he ran to the Rebbe’s secretariat and wrote an urgent note to the Rebbe explaining what was happening. The girl was unconscious, her life was in danger and the situation was desperate. It seemed like the Rebbe’s blessing wasn’t working. The Rebbe had to do something fast.
The Rebbe’s reply came immediately. “Be my emissary to her father and ask him, in my name, to transfer his daughter to Bait Yaakov.”
‘Tell him to transfer his daughter’?!
Rabbi Gurary wasn’t too happy with the answer. He figured the Rebbe would just do a miracle and make the girl healthy as he’d done hundreds, even thousands of times before. But he didn’t.
How could he possibly relay such a message?
The girl’s father was already beside himself with grief and worry and his wife family were blazing mad at him for not letting the doctors operate.
Certainly, the last thing he would want to hear is advice from the Rebbe, especially on such a meaningless topic as changing schools. Especially from the CAUSE of his problems!!!! It would sound absurd to talk about where his daughter was registered when the girl was dying! She might not live another hour!! He would probably erupt in anger
But suddenly Rabbi Gurary threw all logic aside, mustered up the courage, took a cab to the hospital and gave the father the message. And to his surprise, instead of getting mad or bursting out in tears he actually agreed.
He went to the nearest pay phone, called Bait Yaakov, enrolled his dying, unconscious daughter on the spot and told them he would be in the next day to pay in full.
An hour later the abscess burst on its own, his daughter’s temperature fell to normal and the doctors said there was no need for an operation. It was an open miracle!!
This was the story Rabbi Gurary decided to tell the Rebbe when he went in to Yechidut. He would introduce it by saying that he would like to first tell the Rebbe a miracle, a happy ending to the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s blessing.
And so it was. He entered the Rebbe’s room and began with his story. The Rebbe listened and when it was finished, smiled and said:

“The biggest miracle was not what I did, or what the father did, or even that the girl recovered.
The biggest miracle was that you did what I told you to!! That you told the father what I had requested!”

Now we can answer our questions about the curses, Elul and the False Prophets.
The reason G-d gives curses is because He wants us to meet challenges.
Angels, have no free will of their own, never have to make hard choices and also don’t really get blessings.
But man, especially the Jews, because we have so many commandments and so many obstacles …. when we do choose correctly, often against our nature, it actually gives G-d pleasure (Nachat Ruach) and brings blessing to the world as well.
And this should make us very happy.
Even if sometimes we must face awesomely difficult tests and even false prophets, we must keep in mind the great blessings we bring to the world when we choose properly …. as Rabbi Gurary in our story did.
This is the inventory we must make in the month of Ellul. It must contain both  awe and joy: Awe of G-d’s infinite power and joy that we are loved and important to Him.
And this will result in an increase in prayer, charity, Torah, Tshuva and Redemption (hinted at by the initials of E L U L: see Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 126:1)

This is the practical message we can learn here.

The Rebbe declared that ours is the generation of Moshiach.
It demands that we think, speak and act Jewish; above our natures and our normal ways of thinking. As Maimonides points out in the end of his Yad Chazaka; ‘The Moshiach will cause the world to be filled with the AWARENESS of G-d.”
But, bringing Moshiach depends solely on us and we have the power to make it happen! We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish commandments, hopes, prayers and suffering. It all depends on us! Just one more good deed, word or even good thought, can bring …….

Moshiach NOW!!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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