Elul (Hebrew: אֱלוּל) is the twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar. It is a summer month of 29 days. Elul usually occurs in August–September on the Gregorian calendar. The name of the month, like the names of the rest of the Hebrew calendar months, was brought from the Babylonian Exile, and originated from the Akkadian word for "Harvest".  In the Jewish tradition, the month of Elul is a...

By David Wolkin This is adapted from an original post that I wrote in 2010. The 10 Days of Repentance represent the window of time in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, during which time we are meant to repent on the sins of the past year. I’ve always found it tough to focus on this and properly bring it down to earth, so I developed this writing exercise to help me through it. It can work for anyone, irrespective of...

And G!d says: “You think these are my office hours? That only in these precious days I can hear you? No! I walk with you through the valleys and the fields, gridlocked streets and riot blocks. It is YOU who hears ME in these coming days. It will be you who stops to listen. These gates are open for YOU.”   And G!d says: “Can you feel the turning? The sun is lower and the trees are beginning to burn; it is...

New Year of the Animals According to the Talmud—the ancient body of Jewish law—the 1st of Elul was the date upon which farm and other domesticated animals were counted a year older for tax purposes. This date was thus known as the New Year of the Animals. While this tradition is long gone, on this day we have the opportunity to honor our beloved animal companions, as well as to be mindful of our own interrelationship to, and impact upon, animal...

The Beginning By Rachel Kann If you can find stillness, the jasmine will night-bloom in your direction and the breeze will carry its sacred exhalation of perfume toward you. Breathe, the moon will cascade waves of radiance downward, drop her silver robes, glow. You will awaken, overtaken by a love that asks no permission, golden particles rising beneath your skin. all of existence longs to be an offering. eternity is a constant whisper wishing to be listened to. This is the...

This three-stanza prayer/poem from liturgist and poet Alden Solovy reflects the spiritual journey of   t’shuva, repentance and return. The first stanza represents the month of Elul, when we are literally called to introspection by the sound of the shofar. The second stanza represents Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment that also heralds the joy and hope of a new heart and another chance to live a life of holiness. The third stanza represents Yom Kippur, when, after 40 days of introspection...

Return again, return again, return to the land of your soul. Return to who you are. Return to what you are. Return to where you are born and reborn.

The shofar is our ancient, animalistic alarm clock. Hearing it tells us to wake up and it's a mitzvah, a commandment to hear its call. We say the first blessing before the shofar is sounded, then we say shehecheyanu, the blessing for milestones, to mark the occasion.   Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu lishmoa kol shofar. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy with commandments, and who has commanded...

High Holidays in Five Senses  As the light and the weather shift in this sacred time of transition, we're invited to enter a new season and a new year. Take a deep breath as you consider how each of your senses connects to the High Holidays. What do the High Holidays smell like?  They smell of freshly-baked sweet challah, the vanilla-y pages of an old book, your grandfather’s aftershave, the tang of the etrog and the perfume of lulav branches. What...

For centuries, Sephardi Jewish families have gathered to celebrate a special Rosh Hashanah ceremony with a plate or meal of symbolic foods. Each food is eaten after requesting a specific kind of Divine blessing that sounds like the name of that food in Hebrew.  Before eating dates ( tamar ): May it be your will, God, that hatred will end. ( Tamar resembles the word for end, yitamu. ) Before eating pomegranate: May we be as full of mitzvot as the...