The Jewish month of Elul is traditionally a time for personal reflection and spiritual preparation for the New Year. It offers a structured opportunity to examine what is holding us back from being who we really want to be. If we use the period of Elul to take concrete steps towards becoming advocates for change, together we can make a difference!
TRADITION The word Elul can be understood as an acronym for the Hebrew verse Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li, “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.”
SUGGESTION Think about your relationship with whatever you conceive of as the Divine Presence. Try to imagine a more intimate relationship, as if God were your beloved. You might want to write a letter addressed to this Beloved in which you speak as you would to a close friend. You may want to honor yourself as “created in God’s image” by treating yourself as you would treat a beloved.
TRADITION The teshuvah process operates on two levels, one involving human relationships and the other involving our relationship with God. According to tradition, one resolves human relationships during Elul by asking forgiveness for wrongdoings. If one earnestly asks three times, the obligation is fulfilled.
SUGGESTION As part of your teshuvah process try to sort out difficult relationships (with people, organizations) that drain you of your creative energy. Think about what kind of closure you need in order to move forward into the next year.
TRADITION The shofarA ram's horn that is blown on the High Holidays to "wake us up" and call Jews to repentance. It is also said that its blast will herald the coming of the messiah. (ram’s horn) is blown at the conclusion of every weekday morning prayer service during Elul.
SUGGESTION Use this month to listen for the shofar’s rousing call. Carve out some time to think through the kinds of changes you want to make in the coming year. What’s holding you back?
TRADITION Psalm 27, which begins with the words “God is my light and my helper, whom shall I fear?” is recited every day from Rosh ChodeshThe new moon, which marks the beginning of the Jewish month. According to tradition, because women did not participate in the sin of the golden calf, they were given the holiday of Rosh Chodesh. It is customary for women not to work on Rosh Chodesh. Elul (the beginning of the month) through the middle of SukkotLit. Booths or huts Sukkot is the autumn harvest Festival of Booths, is celebrated starting the 15th of the Jewish month of Tishrei. Jews build booths (sukkot), symbolic of the temporary shelters used by the ancient Israelites when they wandered in the desert. Traditionally, Jews eat and sleep in the sukkah for the duration of the holiday (seven days in Israel and eight outside of Israel). The lulav (palm frond), willow, myrtle, and etrog fruit are also waved together. (the Festival of Booths).
SUGGESTION Honor the fact that change can involve fear. Think about keeping an Elul journal to help revive your internal dialogue. You may want to use some or all of Psalm 27 as a departure point for meditation and/or writing. Books like The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron may also be useful tools.
TRADITION Kol NidreiA prayer  recited Yom Kippur evening, widely known for its mournful, haunting melody. (the first prayer recited on the eve of Yom KippurThe holiest day of the Jewish year and the culmination of a season of self-reflection. Jews fast, abstain from other worldly pleasures, and gather in prayers that last throughout the day. Following Ne'ilah, the final prayers, during which Jews envision the Gates of Repentance closing, the shofar is sounded in one long blast to conclude the holy day. It is customary to begin building one's sukkah as soon as the day ends.) serves to annul all existing vows and prepare us to begin the New Year with a clean slate. The Al Het'For the sin ...'' – the litany of sins for which Jews ask forgiveness during Yom Kippur services. prayer enumerates the specific ways we have missed the mark.
SUGGESTION Take some time to re-evaluate your participation in the community. Try to be more conscious of how you spend your time and money. Do your calendar and checkbook reflect your values and priorities?
