Rosh Chodesh Elul has arrived, and our minds are already focused on how to achieve a victorious judgment on Rosh Hashanah. A Midrash from the Book of Devarim and parshas Shoftim gives insight on how to secure a winning judgment and lengthen our days.
In Devarim Rabbah (9:9), we are told of a story involving the Tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Chalafta. One time he went to attend a circumcision ceremony. The father brought out wine to drink and he said that from that wine he would save a bit so that they could all celebrate together at the newly born infant’s wedding.
They drank, and then Rabbi Shimon bar Chalafta went on his way. He ran into the Angel of Death. The Angel of Death noted to him how ironic it is that people make plans for the future, for everyone has their allotted time and that infant is destined to die in thirty days.
Rabbi Shimon bar Chalafta inquired as to when his time would be. The Angel of Death responded that the righteous don’t have an allotted time because God desires their good deeds. In the end, Rabbi Shimon bar Chalafta says a prayer and the child lives.
Midrash Kohelet Rabbah (3:2) has a different version of the answer, as it says, He said to him: ‘I have no control over yours and not over your colleagues.’ He said to him: ‘Why?’ He said: ‘It is because each and every day you exert yourself in Torah and mitzvot and perform acts of righteousness, and the Holy One blessed be He adds years to your lifetimes.’
Whichever version is taken to be true, good deeds, learning Torah, doing mitzvot and acts of righteousness can all extend one’s years, and thus a wise path to take to win a victorious judgment on Rosh Hashanah and lengthen one’s days.
The Shelah HaKadosh has a transformative understanding of the first verse of Shoftim that says, “Shof’tim ve shot’rim titen lecha be’chol shearecha asher Hashem elokecha noten lecha lishvatecha veshaf’tu et ha’am mishpat tzedek – Judges and officers you shall appoint in all your cities, which Hashem, your God, gives you, for your tribes; and judge them with righteousness.”
He understands this a personal plea to a person to guard all of the openings of his body, such as his mouth, eyes and ears from doing any prohibited acts.
For the upcoming judgment and path to lengthen our days, one of these openings, the mouth, has direct verses connecting life to it.
A verse regarding the mouth, which relates to lashon hara, uses a similar language of refraining like the verse in Shoftim. The verse (Tehillim 34:14) says, “Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech.” And the verse before that (ibid. v. 13) says, “…who is eager for life, who desires years of good fortune?” Here we have a straightforward verse offering life to the one who guards his lips. This is further stated explicitly in the verse (Mishlei 18:21), “Death and life are in the tongue.”
If one is willing to take advantage of the fact that their tongue is blocked by their lips and teeth before being able to even enunciate a word, they can ponder the good judgment they can attain and longer life to live.
From Midrash and a verse, we see the different possibilities available by which one can win judgment this Rosh Hashanah and lengthen one’s days. May we all merit a good judgment and long life.