The King is in the Field
Jewish tradition emphasizes that the month of Elul is a special time of Divine good will and mercy – a time that is particularly conducive to prayer and repentance. Actually, the month of Elul is part of the preparatory process for entering into the awesome judgment of Rosh Hashana and the cleansing power of the Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. God makes Himself especially close at hand.
A popular rabbinic teaching describes the reality of the Elul encounter as “the king is in the field.” The analogy is to a great king who pays a surprise visit to his subjects while they are at work in their fields. For the average man (or woman), the king is inaccessible, away in his palace, distant and removed. He never dreams he will see the king, let alone speak with him. To have an audience with the king, you had to be summoned. Should you approach without being summoned, you would die (Esther 4:11)… unless he extended the golden scepter to you and spared your life. After the summons, there was palace protocol to learn before you could approach a king. You had to dress correctly, speak correctly, and have proper mannerisms, your presentation had to be flawless. Once you got to the capital, you were ushered to the palace through the many intimidating gates, corridors and antechambers that lead to the throne room. Even the Queen of Sheba passed out when she came before King Solomon!
Then suddenly, one day, while this man is bent over his menial labour in the field, he feels a gentle tap on his shoulder, he turns around and to his shock, it is the great king himself who is standing over him.
The analogy of the king who can now be found “in the field” conveys the essence of the basic human need for an interface with the Divine which finds so much expression during the month of Elul.
Once a year in the month of Elul, the king would come into the field.
He would leave his palace and go out among his people. He would set up his royal tent in the field near a town and all who wanted to see him were welcome.
The announcement was made, The King is In the Field.
The rabbis teach us that Elul is actually an acronym. Each of the Hebrew letters - אלול - alef, lamed, vav, lamed – stands for the beginning letter of each word in the phrase “אני לדודי ודודי לי" – ani ledodi vedodi li – I am my beloved's, and
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