Preparing for Elul Insights from Parashat Re'eh

On a Friday afternoon, an older woman is bent over a large garbage bin, and a passerby stops to ask what she is looking for. What followed explains why one man believes everything has gone right for him, including his children. The same thread runs through Ir HaNidachas in Parshas Reeh. After the city is destroyed, the pasuk promises that Hashem will give you mercy. Why is mercy the reward for a harsh mitzvah, and how does that connect to being judged? The Or HaChaim's answer gives a very practical way to prepare for Elul.