King & Subject: The King’s Honor
“Who is He, this Honored King? God, Lord of Hosts. He is the Honored King, Selah (Psalms 24:10).” Only God can truly be called the Honored King, for the Honor is His, and does not come from others so that it can be taken away, as so often happens with human kings. A king who depends on others for honor can never lay claim to the title of Honored King (Sefat Emet; Va’eira 5634).
We are not approaching Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Coronation, as subjects who will honor their king. We are coming to connect with God’s Honor which is not dependent on us. We are coming to connect to God, and thereby reflect His Honor throughout His Creation.
We prepare for this aspect of Malchuyot by paying special attention during Elul to acting in a manner that reflects God’s honor in all that we do.