Queens Jewish Link
Connecting the Queens Jewish Community 
Before we continue with the 13 Midos in practice, let us briefly examine the power inherent in our repeatedly reciting the 13 Midos throughout S’lichos, culminating with the many repetitions in N’ilah on Yom Kippur.
The month of Elul is a great gift of love from Hashem. The four Hebrew letters of the month of Elul are used to provide us with an understanding of what this great month of opportunity is all about. Perhaps the most well-known one is “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li (I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine).” The first letter of each of the four words together spell the letters in the Hebrew form of the word Elul.
The sefer Tomer Devorah uses the 13 midos mentioned in Michah 7:18 rather than the ones we recite from Sh’mos 34:6. We will note both versions for each midah. Our purpose in these segments is twofold:
This week, we are continuing to present the flow of each pasuk in this mizmor, starting with pasuk 6, as it fits into the overall theme of the mizmor.
How important is it to refine our character and work on our midos? The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797), in Even Sh’leimah, writes that if we are not actively working to refine and perfect our midos, what is the purpose of our living?
Over the past Three Weeks, we have focused on the brachos in Shemoneh Esrei that ask for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim, the sprouting of Mashiach, and the return of the Sh’chinah to Zion.
