Prepping for Moshiach: What Happens on the 29th of Elul?

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Imagine that you are a goy who is about to enter under the umbrellah of Yiddishkeit.  It is a time and circumstance that you have been waiting for all of your life.  But – you have one flaw.  You don’t really study so much and when the time comes, you will have absolutely no idea what to do.  You are unsure what to do with these black straps.  There are candles but for what purposes.  And what is all this flour that was brought to my house?  Why aon earth are there two sinks in the kitchen? Why do they keep band-aids next to the light switch and what are these three aluminum balls and sheets of plain foil next to the crockpot?

This paragraph is us.  We have been praying for and anticipating the time when Moshiach is coming and we have absolutely no idea what to do.  The Chofetz Chaim zt”l himself, pointed this out over a century ago,

Let’s start with the calendar.  Yes, we will be going back to old system of waiting for the eidim to come to testify in front of Beis Din that they saw the new moon and for the Beis Din to examine them and then declare Rosh Chodesh.  Goodbye standard Jewish calendars.  Mortuaries will have to find new places to advertise.  People no doubt will start investing more or holding Korban-compatible animals. Most of us will purchase them from vendors, but just like the sour-dough trend, there will probably be a lot of sheep-raising, goat raising, and cow and bull raising.

THE 29TH OF ELUL

TASK A

And now since the end of Elul is fast approaching, let’s get to the 29^th of the month of Elul – the day before Rosh haShana which comes out Monday, September 22, 2025 this year.  The 29^th of Elul is one of the three days out of the year that Chazal established for us to do our Maaser B’heimah separations.  There are 3 opinions as to which days these are (See the Mishna in Bechoros 57b and Shkalim 3:1), but the Rambam rules (Bechoros 7:8)  like the view of Rabbi Akiva that it is 15 days before Pesach, 15 days before Shavuos and 15 days before Sukkos – which is the 29^th of Elul.

From this day on one may not not sell, shecht, or eat your animals until you took off Maaser Behaima.  The Chazon Ish (Bechoros 27) adds that you also cannot partake of it with a friend.

***A Yesoma is getting married soon.  If anyone wishes to donate toward the chasunah please click here. https://shulspace.org/yeshiva-of-kings-bay/donationForm?CN=1487

TASK B

This, the 29^th of Elul is also the day that we go into the special Beis HaMikdash office and take out the half shekel coins that were collected in order to purchase the Korbanos.  This Kohain (and some say even a non-Kohain can do it, it is just that the Kohanim made a Chazaka on it) enters that office with three containers marked Aleph, Bais, and Gimel.  He enters with clothing that one cannot hide anything in (no pockets as well). He may not wear shoes or sandals either.  There are two reasons for this and they are: 1] Since this office is within the Azarah, you cannot enter there with shoes (Yevamos 102b) and 2] We want to ensure that no one suspect him in hiding money in the shoe or sandal.  He may also not enter while wearing Tefillin – neither a shel yad nor a shel rosh.  He may also not enter with a Kamiya for the same reason.

He is then examined by the Gizbarim there (See Yerushalmi Shkalim 3:2) both in his clothing as well as in his body (see Rokayach Siman 233).  There are guards that are outside and the Torem, the person who entered to take the coins, makes a declaration.  There are different versions of what is said at this point.  The Rambam’s view is that the Torem says, “Etrom – I shall separate} and the guards outside say, “Trom, Trom, Trom.” The Rosh and Rav Ovadya Bartenura’s version are that the Torem says, “Trom, Trom, Trom” and after each time they say, “Trom.”

DOES THE TOREM MAKE A BRACHA?

There are different views about whether he recites a bracha and if so what exact bracha he recites.  The Rambam indicates that no bracha is recited. 

FILLING UP THE CONTAINERS

He then fills up the 3 containers, each container can hold 3 se’ah.  The first one he does with all of Eretz Yisroel and all of Bnei Yisroel in mind.  The second one he has in mind the Krachim and its surrounding areas and also all of Eretz Yisroel, and the third one he has in mind, Bavel, Media and the distant countries and all of the diaspora.

When he separate the moneys he has in mind on all the coins that have been collected and are in the office there as well as the coins that have not yet reached the office as well as the coins that have not yet been collected and some say on the coins that have been lost and on those that will eventually be collected.

Some say (Rav Shlomo Sirilio zt”l) that the entire time that the Torem is in the office he is overseen that he not steal by the treasurers inside the office while others say (Rambam Shkalim 2:10) that the guards on the outside must engage him in conversation from the time he enters until he leaves. The reason is so that he will not put a coin in his mouth.

***A Yesoma is getting married soon.  If anyone wishes to donate toward the chasunah please click here. https://shulspace.org/yeshiva-of-kings-bay/donationForm?CN=1487

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