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.Â
In this video, learn the fundamentals of how to blow the shofar from Paul Root Wolpe, Ph.D.
An opportunity to join with others and be witnessed in any life transition, both external and internal
A prayer based on traditional texts which address God as Shekhinah
Adds biblical women to the list of biblical men in this traditional prayer
An explanation of why the authors created a Selikhot liturgy to include voices of men and women
An inclusive version of this traditional Selikhot (penitential) prayer
A meditation walk that one can do to prepare to do teshuvah (repentance)
Reflections on Elul, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur
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