THE KING IN THE FIELD!!!!!

Song of Solomon chapter 7

Psalm chapter 27




Today we are walking in: The King In The Field!!!




Today we look to the word-FIELD-H7704 sadeh--field, land, cultivated field, plain (opposed to mountain), land (opposed to sea)




The Torah testifies...............

Leviticus 17:5

To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, H7704 even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD.




The prophets proclaim..................

Ezekiel 17:24

And all the trees of the field H7704 shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.




The writings bear witness..........................

Ruth 2:22

And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. H7704




The King in the Field




“I Am My Beloved’s”




The name “Elul” is an acronym for the biblical phrase ani ledodi vedodi li—“I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine.” In other words, the intense love between The Most High Yah and the Hebrew people comes to the surface during Elul. This particular verse also indicates that during Elul, it is man who takes the initiative in his relationship with The Most High Yah.




This verse is contrasted with a similar verse,“My Beloved is mine, and I am His,” which reflects a different expression of this love relationship. “My Beloved is mine” suggests the initiative is taken by divine revelation, which then evokes a response from man. “I am my Beloved’s,” by contrast, suggests an expression of love initiated by man, to which The Most High Yah responds.




Is the Initiative Man’s or The Most High Yah’s?




In Torah, it describes the tightening of the bond between The Most High Yah and the Hebrew people in the month of Elul with the following parable:




Before a king enters his city, its inhabitants go out to greet him and receive him in the field. At that time, anyone who so desires is granted permission [and can] approach him and greet him. He receives them all pleasantly, and shows a smiling countenance to all . . .




This parable appears to contradict the direction suggested by the phrase, “I am my Beloved’s,” for the parable seems to indicate that in Elul it is The Most High Yah Who initiates the relationship, by revealing His Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. (The Torah explains that these Attributes refer to an unlimited expression of divine love.) In contrast, the verse “I am my Beloved’s” indicates that the initiative is taken by man.




In Torah, this difficulty is resolved by explaining that the revelation of the king in the field, i.e., the expression of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy in the month of Elul, generates the potential for the initiative to be taken by man. Otherwise the people of the field, ordinary men whose spiritual attainments are modest, would be incapable of turning to The Most High Yah with the inspired commitment expressed by the phrase, “I am my Beloved’s.”




Though the potential is initially granted from above, the nurturing of the love relationship depends on man’s initiative. The revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy is merely a catalyst. In going out to the field, the king makes himself accessible to his people. It is the people, however, who take the step of turning to him.




Why the King Goes Into the Field




In Torah, the parable is further used to explain the difference between the revelation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy in the month of Elul, and the revelation of these attributes on Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, the king is in his palace; The Most High Yah reveals Himself in all His majesty. During Elul, however, the king is in the field; The Most High Yah reveals Himself at a level which can be apprehended by man within the framework of his mundane reality.




However, The Most High Yah descends to this level not only in order to make Himself accessible to man. Rather, to borrow the terms of the analogy, the king meets his people in the field because a field has intrinsic value.




A field is a place where grain grows. Growing grain and converting it into the food which sustains us requires a great deal of effort. And this effort symbolizes the full scope of our activities within our mundane sphere.




The value of these activities can be seen from the fact that most of our time is spent dealing with our material needs and earning the means by which to provide for them, as it is written,“Six days shall you work, and the seventh day shall be a Shabbat unto the The Most High, your Most High Yah.”




Faced with this state of affairs, we are inclined to wonder why The Most High Yah designed a world in which man is forced to involve himself primarily in material rather than in spiritual activities. The reason for this seemingly problematic apportioning of time is that it reflects the purpose of creation. The Most High Yah created the world so that He could have a “dwelling place in the lower worlds.” In accordance with this desire, our service of The Most High Yah has to center on the ordinary details of existence for the purpose of infusing them with The Most High Godliness, and not on the purely spiritual as it exists on an abstract plane.




In light of this, we can appreciate the significance of our parable to the month of Elul. The king’s presence in the field represents the ultimate purpose of creation. Our efforts must be directed towards bringing The Most High Godliness into our material world. The Most High Yah’s presence must be found not only in the royal palace, i.e., where spirituality is manifest; rather, even the lowest realms of existence must be transformed into a dwelling place for Him.




The Most High Yah’s Smiling Countenance




The parable of the king in the field expresses the importance of our divine service within the framework of the ordinary, but it also underscores the unique relationship between the king and His subjects. In the field, “he receives them all pleasantly and shows a smiling countenance to all.” In the “field,” The Most High Yah allows His subjects to relate to Him as His presence is manifest.




Throughout the year, we emphasize the importance of carrying out our service of The Most High Yah in the field with the intent that this should lead to the revelation of the King’s presence. In Elul, which marks the culmination of this service—and the preparation for the coming year—our efforts are rewarded by the perceptible revelation of the King’s presence.




Expressing Our Love Relationship with The Most High Yah Through Torah Study




In light of this, we can understand the importance of increasing our Torah study during Elul, for the revelation of the King’s presence is dependent on the study of the Torah. As mentioned above, our service of The Most High Yah in the field involves primarily mundane matters. We concern ourselves with activities which are not in and of themselves holy, but are performed “for the sake of the King.” As the Torah states, “All your deeds should be for the sake of heaven.” And it is likewise written, “Know Him in all your ways.”




Because The Most High Yah desires a dwelling place in the lower worlds, this mode of divine service is valuable, but because it involves materiality, The Most High Yahliness is not manifest within this framework. It is, however, revealed through the study of Torah, because the Torah, the embodiment of The Most High Yah’s will and wisdom, is one with Him.




The Most High Yah’s will is that His presence be revealed “in the field”; i.e., that we recognize our world as His dwelling place. This revelation depends upon the Torah study of the people of the field. Although they may be engaged in mundane activities for most of the day, the fixed times that they set aside for Torah study suffuse their entire day with Torah. In this manner, manifest The Most High Yahliness is drawn down into every aspect of their lives, even into the day-to-day activities of “the field.”




The “men of the field” need not forego their ordinary activities entirely and devote themselves solely to Torah study. This is not what The Most High Yah desires. In the parable, when the king passes through the field, the people pause from their work and approach him. Similarly, during Elul, although the “men of the field” continue their daily activities, because they are aware of the King’s presence, they should also increase their Torah study.




Hence the emphasis during Elul on Torah study as well as prayer, for they are both associated with the verse, “I am my Beloved’s.”In fact, our love relationship with The Most High Yah is most completely expressed through the study of the Torah. Thus the verse, “He kisses me with the kisses of His mouth,” alludes to Torah study, a time at which The Most High Yah’s words are in one’s mouth.




By intensifying our love relationship with The Most High Yah during Elul, we ensure that the entire Hebrew people is inscribed with a kesivah vachasimah tovah, and is granted abundant blessings in the coming new year. May those blessings include the most fundamental and necessary blessing—the coming of the Redemption—and may this take place in the immediate future




AMEN AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!