Those who disagree say that this period [Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance] is one of judgment, but just the opposite! For this reason one should even permit [a mourner to lead] even on Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur! Indeed, this was the exact question put to the Maharil, thinking that because these are days of judgment, without any joy, Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur should be viewed as different from the other holidays [which are days of joy]. Further, even according to their view, what would associate days of judgment and the month of Elul? Even the days of Selichot before Rosh haShanah are not days of judgment – just the opposite, they are days of mercy and desire, the last set of forty days when Moshe Rabbeinu was on the mountain and the Holy One showed him favour. It is only on Rosh HaShanah that the judgment begins... Moreover, the Ten Days of Repentance are not called “days of judgment”. Just the opposite, they are days of mercy, during which Hashem avails Himself to every individual. Only Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are “days of judgment”...