Elul: It’s the month that quietly ushers in one of the most spiritually significant seasons on the Jewish calendar, even though many Jews might not be familiar with it. It is the final month on the Hebrew calendar, and its primary role is to serve as a period of spiritual preparation for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
“The celebration of the new year, Rosh Hashanah, is put together with Yom Kippur, which the Torah informs us is a day to think both individually and collectively about the mistakes we might have made over the past year,” Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly, said.
The month of Elul is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and history. According to Chabad.org, the spiritual origins of Elul go back to the time of Moses, the year after the Jewish people left Egypt. After Moses descended Mount Sinai and smashed the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments due to the sin of the Golden Calf, he ascended Mount Sinai again on the first of Elul. This time, Moses went to plead with God to reinscribe the Ten Commandments and ask for forgiveness on behalf of the Jewish people in Israel. He obtained God’s forgiveness on his third journey up Mount Sinai and stayed there until the day of Yom Kippur.
Blumenthal said he believes it’s also inspired by a shift in the weather.
“We move from the long days and warmth of summer to a sense that the world is a little darker and a little colder,” he said. “That pushes us towards thinking a little more about our own lives, our own mortality and towards more purpose and meaning.”
Chabad.org describes Elul as “the month of divine mercy and forgiveness.” It is a time for introspection, when individuals are encouraged to evaluate their spiritual progress and personal growth over the past year. The goal is to enter Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with a sincere intention to improve and repent.
“There was an elaborate ritual in the temple to actually cleanse the whole people, you know, the whole nation of its sins,” Blumenthal added. “Since we don’t have the temple anymore, we use the period around Yom Kippur to think about the ways that we’re living our lives, both in our relationship with God and especially in our relationship with other people.”
Blumenthal said Elul is a time to reflect on the past year and prepare for Yom Kippur with similar practices to Rosh Hashanah, like blowing the shofar horn after morning services. However, for Elul, the shofar is blown every weekday throughout the month.
“The rabbis said, ‘Well, you can’t just sort of come into Yom Kippur and then just start to think about the quality of your life and the quality of your behavior,’” Blumenthal explained. “So, the most intense period of preparation is between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, those 10 days we call the Ten Days of Repentance. But the rabbis actually extend that back by the full month before Rosh Hashanah, so the month of Elul begins a period where we’re called towards introspection, thinking about our behavior, about our relationships, about our values, and starting to think about how we could make sure that our actions line up with our intentions.”
Additionally, in the week leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the Selichot prayers are recited in the early morning except on the first night, when they are recited at midnight.
Blumenthal said that some rabbis extend the month of reflecting until the end of Sukkot and will also recite Psalm 27, a special psalm during services.
As Blumenthal notes, this extended period of reflection allows people to align their actions with their intentions, making the transition into the Ten Days of Repentance more meaningful and deliberate. ■
