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Month of Elul

Each year as summer fades into fall, Jewish tradition invites us to turn inward. The month of Elul precedes the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We dedicate this time to preparing ourselves for the holidays so that we can experience them as fully as possible. During Elul we are asked to look into ourselves. We think about who we are and who we want to be. Whose forgiveness do we need in order for us to enter a new year with a clean slate? Judaism offers help for this period of introspection in several ways: The shofar sounds daily, awakening us from complacency; later in the month, prayers of repentance—selikhot—are added to the daily liturgy. Perhaps most important, during Elul, we can support each other through the process of requesting and offering forgiveness with full and open hearts. 

Latest Rituals

“I have plenty more to tell You now”

a colorful field of flowers underneath a pale sunset

A ritual to prepare for the High Holy Days using the framework of the Four Worlds

silhouette of a person holding a candle against a sunset

“I once thought / that if I studied enough, I’d be able to understand You”

a person wearing a hat is walking through a field

“We forgive to heal ourselves”

a blurry shot of the backs of two people walking in a field with flowers in front

Honoring the memory of the deceased

a dark grey ceramic bowl sits on a flat stone surface

“We have abstained from uncomfortable growth”

a protest, several people are wearing masks and someone is holding a cardboard sign that says "END SYSTEMIC RACISM"

A journey of art making, writing, and meditation

a white bird flies through the sky

Ritual to do at home with a bowl of water and ice

drops of water come down onto a surface of water, creating a circular ripple

“I am forgiven because I dance”

silhouette of a person with outstretched arms in the middle of a field

“Avinu Malkeinu, open our hearts”

a protest with a person holding up a fist and in the other hand a sign that says "WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS"

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