Staying and Feeling Alive

In this week’s Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz reminds us that Elul תשפ"ה is not a repeat of last year—it is brand new. Together we enter into the niggun of ונאמר לפניו שירה חדשה, the song of renewal, and the tefillot that prepare us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Through the words of the Ibn Ezra and the teachings of Rav Biderman, the Shla Hakadosh, and the Ba'al Shem Tov, we learn that true life is found not only in feeling inspired, but in choosing to stay alive even through ניסיונות (challenges) that seem to make no sense. Torah and mitzvot done with חיות, with freshness and vitality, become our very source of life. May we merit not just to survive, but to feel renewed, uplifted, and alive every single Shabbos.