Every sport has its training regimen before the season begins. Many athletes try staying in shape during the off season and some do better than others. Even the athlete who continues to practice and keep in shape still requires a pre-season work-out schedule to get into tip top form. All athletes want to be in their best shape prior to the start of the season. The athlete who has conditioned properly will have the best chances of a successful career. Every athlete knows there are essential components of their pre-season training: building interpersonal relationships, team-play, and individual physical training. The professional athlete must work on his individual position and his/her own body development. In addition the professional athlete must practice his sport from a team perspective with the entire team.

As I get older, I find that it takes longer to bounce back from small injuries such as a sprained ankle or a strained muscle. Actually, Hashem created the body in a most amazing fashion; when we over-do a physical activity, straining or pulling a muscle ,our bodies will 'hurt', forcing us to rest that part of the body to avoid continued use and risk further injury. In other words a charlie horse or a pulled muscle is actually a protective warning system designed to keep us from further injuring our bodies. I find that I cannot resume my exercising if the injury isn't healed one hundred percent. Professional athletes do not return to playing with all their effort until they are signed off by a physician, stating that they are ready to play.

The parshios prior to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur address all of the needs for changing our ways and conditioning our souls as we prepare for the upcoming season. In this week's parsha Shoftim the Torah describes the relationship that we are to have with Him. In Devarim 18:13 the Torah states: "Tamim Tihiyeh Im Hashem Elokecha" "You shall be wholehearted with Hashem, your God". The Baalei Mussar have a field day with this verse. Reb Levi Yitzchak from Berditchev states 'If you will be with Hashem, you will be wholehearted and lack nothing'. Reb Yitzchok Elchonon Spekter says 'Toras Hashem Temimah Meshivas Nafesh:... 'and the Torah tells the Bnei Yisrael you must be wholehearted with Hashem'. This teaches us that Yisroel (the Jews) and the Torah are one. Just as the Torah is Posul/invalid when even one letter is missing, Bnei Yisrael is incomplete when even one person strays from the Torah.

I recently read a halacha in the Aruch Hashulchan Even Haezer 64:13 which discusses the most appropriate time of a month to get married. Typically, we try to schedule a wedding during the first half of the month as the moon keeps on growing and getting bigger. After mid-month the moon begins to decrease in size and we look at that as a bad omen. Rav Epstein explains that as the moon grows so too we want to grow and add onto our lives by increasing it with a spouse and ultimately with children through this union. Interestingly enough the verse Rav Epstein brings to support this idea is our passuk of Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem Elokecha: you will continue to grow and perfect yourself. There are three months that are an exception to this custom: Elul, Tishrei, and Adar. Each one of these exceptions has different reasons as to why you could marry in the second half of the month. Specifically though, the reason a person can marry in the latter half of the month of Elul is because the month of Elul snowballs in its Kedusha, in its holiness. The month of Elul continues to build, adding sanctity, building from each day to the next day.. Each day we perfect an area of our neshama, which, in turn, gives us strength and encouragement to push on and grow more.

I would like to suggest the entire Passuk of 'Tamim' refers to the month of Elul and the climb to perfection and wholesomeness until the Yomim Noraim, the Days of Awe. Each day of Elul is part of our pre-season training, helping us to get into shape for the new season. The difficulty people have getting into the right frame of mind for Rosh Hashanana is the distance people have strained from a particular Mitzva that they used to do. People get out of shape and are not used to doing that activity anymore and find it difficult to return to their previous levels of "fitness". Proper training is necessary whether it is physical or spiritual in nature.

Chazal gave us clear directions as to how we need to train and prepare ourselves during this month. There are a few exercises they suggest we do to get into shape during this time. It is recommended checking your Mezuzos at least twice in seven years and checking Teffilin fom time to time. The time of year people remind themselves to checking is during Elul. People get ready for Yom Tov and purchase new clothing, and that forces us to have our garments checked for Shatnez. When we correspond with people, we should mention the time of year and wish them a good and happy new year. These and other suggestions force us to start doing Mitzvos and get us in the mood to improve and refine our souls.

I view the month of Elul as the training season before the New Year begins. Just as athletes won't compete unless they are Tamim - without blemish and perfect - so too we can't begin the season unless we are blemish-free and whole in the spiritual sense. Let's take this training season seriously and work hard to get into shape, entering our new year in top spiritual form.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avram Bogopulsky