To utilize the month of teshuva properly, the Rebbe instructed the yeshiva staff to inspire their students with an extra seder of avoda’dike maamarim and by telling stories of how chassidim conducted themselves during this special month.
Once considered just one of many maamarim in Likkutei Torah, the “Ani Ledodi” maamar was transformed by the Rebbe to be the gateway of all the chodesh Elul avoda. Almost no farbrengen, rally, public or private letter in Elul didn’t have some reference to the mashal of the king in the field. Today, it has become a cornerstone of the perception of Elul throughout the Jewish world.
Already at the beginning of the nesius, the Rebbe invested efforts in utilizing Elul appropriately. In the year 5713 (1963), the Rebbe gave instructions to the yeshiva administration on how to inspire the talmidim with yiras Shamayim during this month of teshuva:
Firstly, they were to impress upon them the seriousness of the month by relating how chassidim in Lubavitch conducted themselves throughout Elul.
Secondly, every night for fifteen minutes after maariv, the talmidim were to learn avoda’dike maamarim relevant to this time of year.
(From Reb Moshe Levertov’s diary)
From The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash
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