The King is in the Field. Are You?

Have you ever considered that while Hashem makes Himself extraordinarily accessible during Elul, we still need to make the effort to meet Him? This profound question sits at the heart of our exploration of the Alter Rebbe's famous "King is in the Field" teaching.

The concept, originated by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (founder of Chabad Hasidism), presents a beautiful metaphor for understanding divine accessibility during the month of Elul. Just as a king might leave his palace and venture into the fields where his subjects can approach him directly without formal protocols, Hashem becomes more approachable during this special time. But the challenging question remains: if the King is in the field, are you?

We delve into where exactly this "field" might be found, drawing on the Talmudic teaching that Hashem is found within the "four cubits of halacha" – approximately 80 inches according to Rav Moshe Feinstein's calculation. This suggests that our meeting place with Hashem exists within the framework of Torah study, prayer, and Jewish practice. The quiet moments of nighttime learning create particularly fertile ground for authentic spiritual connection.

The Alter Rebbe, a Torah genius who authored a Shulchan Aruch before turning 25, understood how to make profound spiritual concepts accessible. His teaching challenges us to wake from spiritual slumber this Elul through honest Torah study that illuminates our hearts and reconnects us to our divine source. Will you accept the challenge to step into the field where the King awaits?

Chapters

• 0:00 Discovering Chabad Heritage
• 0:42 The Alter Rebbe's Legacy
• 1:12 King in the Field Concept
• 2:15 Where to Find Hashem
• 3:53 Challenge for Spiritual Awakening

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I recently discovered that my great-grandmother, my father's grandmother, is from Chabad, is a Chabad Chosid, or at least I discovered that she was born and lived in a city that was right next to one of the largest Chabad in Europe and most likely she was Chabad. But either way, I'm excited because I love Chabad, chabad, those great Jews. They enable us to have minyanim wherever we go. They put tefillin on people in an effort to spread Hashem's Torah and mitzvos Also. Most notably, chabad stems from one of the greatest Torah scholars to ever live, somebody who authored a shulchan aruch before his 25th birthday. Somebody that was such a maven and virtuoso that he has so many names and he lights up the world with his Torah to this day. They call him the Alter Rebbe, but the man who started Chabad, his name was the Balatanya Reb, shner Zalman of Riyadi. He's very popular these days, especially during Elul, because there's a concept that he promulgates, propagates, expands upon His Torah that you know everyone's talking about nowadays. When people say the king is in the field. The king is in the field. What do they mean? Where do they get this from? It's an idea from the Balatania that he's using in Likutei Torah, one of his Svarim that's published by his grandsons and Parshas Re'eh, paraklamad Be'ez Pasek Aleph. When that's published by his grandsons and Parshas Re'eh Paraklamad Be'ez Pasek Aleph. When he's dealing with a contradiction between two passages of the Arizal Reb Yitzchak Gloria and the Great Balatania advances.

Speaker 1: 1:31

An idea called the king is in the field during Elul, which basically means that during this Hebrew month on the calendar it looks like we have pause 10 seconds for station identification, we have some glare in the glasses from the camera, but the king is in the field. It means that Hashem Kut Shabrichu is more accessible during Elul, more congenial, more affable, more amiable, that you can walk right up to the master of the world. You don't need to go through the gates, all the other things that you need to fight your way through to get to Hashem and grant an audience with the king. The king is right there for us during Elul because the king is in the field. And now I would like to challenge you. The king is in the field and Hashem is right here for us to come close to him during Elul. It's a special time, but the king's in the field. But are you in the field? Do you ever ask yourself that question? Do you ever go out to the king to actually meet him. Do you ever make the first move? Because, during Elul, hashem has made his chest move, a move that makes it easy for us. And now we need to move forward and go, search after God, find him in our lives and find him, and you know where you find God. It's not just in the field, but this Elul.

Speaker 1: 2:47

Remind yourself that, while the king's in the field, the Torah, the Gemara 8a, masech HaBrachos also tells us that you'll only find God within the four cubit amos, within halacha, which means that within around 21.69 inches times four, that's how long an ama is. According to Ramosha Feinstein, you need to be within around 80 inches of Torah, which basically means you need to get yourself into a base medrash and study God's Torah. That's where it seems like the field is Davin. Go to shul, go to the Beit Midrash, the holy. Go to yeshiva. Learn within 80 inches of a Mishnebura sounds like it's good enough to get near the Svarim shrank, maybe.

Speaker 1: 3:24

Stand within 80 inches Dalet Amos, shalhalacha, of a great rabbi, whatever it is, but be in the confines of where Torah is found and then take the time to have honest Torah study. Torah study that lights your heart up and connects you to the source of all sources. Here's a challenge when you're searching to find the king in the field and you're also going within the Dalet, amosha, l'alacha, so now we know where to go. But now open up a safer after Marav, at night time, when you have peace. So the king is in the field, you're within the right confines of where to find Hashem, and also it's night time where you're alone with your Sefer and you can think and you can process and you can light your heart up. That sounds like a great impetus and a way to really shock your heart awake during Elul and to wake yourself up from a spiritual slumber and to take back the reins on your life.

Speaker 1: 4:13

Balatania started us off the king's in the field. It's our job to go out to the field and then to get within the 80 cubit inches, 80 inches within the confines of Halacha, to be near Hashem. And that actually means during El that we try, we strive and we connect with honest Torah study to go, find ourselves in a base Medrash and search after the king, because he is in the field and he is accessible and he is in the field. So we have to ask ourselves are we in the field as well. I recently discovered that my great grandmother, my father-