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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

God, without boundary, / please widen our gaze.
clouds blowing across a blue sky
Eheyeh asher eheyeh / shimmers / with the possible.
close up of two pages of a Hebrew book
You want to leave in peace. / I want to write your name with love.
woman with backpack facing a wintry lake and mountains
Download the Elul Reflection Calendar below for weekly soul-reflection prompts during the month of Elul 5779.
an hourglass is pouring sand from the top section
May polar bears swim safely / to the ice flows, and may we love / our way back to soft tickling cheeks, / hot breath, moist lips
an iceberg floats in the water
my bones / my spirit / my heart / cry out for grace
a person's silhouette is visible, squatting with their head in their hand
the stronghold / is a brook / that babbles inside our selves
a brook runs along the middle of a field with mountains in the distance
Even if you remembered to buy local, organic honey, there is no readiness for the work to come.
a mountain climber on a ledge with the sun peeking over the horizon
Reflection prompts for the seven weeks between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah using the sefirot
view from the top of a long beige spiral staircase

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Join author Evonne Marzouk to find ways to strengthen your experience as a spiritual being, expand your consciousness and deepen your ability to be present. Through study and creative writing, you’ll take away new strategies to use in daily life. 

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