לקוטי שיחות חלק י״ט - כ׳ מנחם אב

During the month of Av—the bitterness associated with the attribute of judgment—a person feels that he is not superior to his fellow.

The Mishnah states:

“On the twentieth of Av, the descendants of Pachas Moav ben Yehudah brought wood; on the twentieth of Elul, the descendants of Adin ben Yehudah brought wood.”

It may be said that the donation of wood after the fifteenth of Av, when suitable wood for the altar was no longer readily available, represented an especially great virtue.

Nevertheless, there is a distinction between the month of Av and the month of Elul.

Elul is the month of Divine mercy. This is alluded to by the name “the descendants of Adin,” which suggests refinement and gentleness. During Elul, a person may feel that he stands on a higher spiritual level and descends from his own level in order to help another person.

The month of Av, however, is characterized by the bitterness that results from the attribute of judgment. This is alluded to by the name “the descendants of Moav,” associated with Ruth the Moabite, who converted through Hashem’s kindness.

In Av, a person feels that he is not above his fellow. After all, who can know where the essential core of his own soul truly stands? He therefore recognizes that he is not spiritually superior to the other person.

This level is even higher, as the verse states:

“I dwell in a high and holy place, yet also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.”

Hashem’s loftiest presence is revealed specifically with one who is brokenhearted and truly humble.