Each of the Hebrew months is created with a Hebrew letter. We discussed previously that the letter for the month of Elul is the letter Yud. The letter of our upcoming month, Tishrei, is the letter Lamed. We will use the Lamed as our source for learning this entire month. Again, our intent is to first present ideas and questions as a way of generating your inquiry and then share our collective thoughts in an integrated Dvar Torah.

Two of the many aspects related to the letter Lamed are: the word Lamed means to learn (as well as to teach) and the letter Lamed is the letter connected with the Heart, in Hebrew, Lev ( Lamed, Beit). Rabbi Abraham Abulafia explains that the heart is the secret of two Lameds face to face (the graphic of this is a heart shape formed from the two bottom halfs of the letter Lamed). The Beit of Lev (Lamed,Beit) equals two in Gematria and can be interpreted if read backwards Beit- two Lameds.

The month of Tishrei is filled with lessons of the heart! The true penitent approaches G-d with a broken heart. We pound (gently) on our hearts as we express our remorse over the sins of the past year. On Sukkot, as we "shake" the Lulav we also bring it to our heart. On Simchat Torah we experience a broken heart over the death of Moshe and at the same time celebrate the ongoing cycle of the Torah. We connect the last letter of the Torah, the letter Lamed (in the word Yisrael) with the Beit of Beresheet, which spells- Lev, the heart.

The coming two weeks include the ten Days of Awe- Rosh Hashana at the beginning , Shabbat Shuva in the middle and Yom Kippur at the end. A question we can pose is what are we learning, what are we to take to heart during this ten days? What does the letter Lamed teach us?!

As is often the case, the Torah portion(s) for the Shabbatot in the next two weeks are Netzavim- Vayelech. In Netzavim, we receive "comfort" from the harsh admonition of last week's rebuke (Devarim 30: 1-6). We are promised that after all our suffering we will return to G-d. Then, G-d will return us to the Land of our ancestors even from the ends of the world.

The next happening seems out of sequence- " And G-d will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your offspring to love G-d with all your heart and soul..." This circumcision of the heart appears to occur once we have repented and returned to G-d, spiritually as well as physically to the land of Israel. What is this circumcision referring to? If one's heart has repented than what further impediment needs to be removed? Is there a lesson to be learned from this as well for the sequence of Rosh Hashana proceeded by the repentance of Elul and then followed by more days of repentance culminating in Yom Kippur? Wouldn't it make more sense to have Rosh Hashana be the culmination of our sincere repentance- then we can proclaim our relationship with G-d as our King?