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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

In this video, learn the fundamentals of how to blow the shofar from Paul Root Wolpe, Ph.D.

a person blowing a shofar with eyes closed

An opportunity to join with others and be witnessed in any life transition, both external and internal

hand holding small glass of water

A prayer based on traditional texts but which addresses God in feminine and gender-neutral imagery

a starry twilight sky

A prayer based on traditional texts which address God as Shekhinah

sky over ocean with sea birds at sunset

Adds biblical women to the list of biblical men in this traditional prayer

a person in a white dress with long dark wavy hair stands with eyes closed and hands clasped at the heart in the middle of a field of yellow flowers on a foggy day

An explanation of why the authors created a Selikhot liturgy to include voices of men and women

shot of the silhouette of a person standing in a field with flowing hair wearing a dress with outstretched arms

An inclusive version of this traditional Selikhot (penitential) prayer

a bright sun and a rainbow overlook a reddish ground with tufts of grass

A meditation walk that one can do to prepare to do teshuvah (repentance)

a person with medium length hair and a hat is walking on a path in the forest

A poem welcoming the month of Elul

a baby lamb is sitting in the grass

Reflections on Elul, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur

dark clouds against a dark blue sky obscure a bright sun

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