The following story is offered as a companion to a teaching from R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), the first rabbi of the Chabad movement. R. Shneur Zalman, the “Alter Rebbe,” teaches that the month of Elul is an auspicious time of year when “the king is in the field” – an analogy that depicts a king who makes himself available in a space outside his regular jurisdiction — “the field” — rather than in “the city” where he can only relate to his subjects as their sovereign. In other words, it is possible in Elul to initiate a relationship with God decontextualized by the typical hierarchies of power.