September 2004

Preparing for the Days of Awe

Elul is the Hebrew month proceeding Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe. It is the time to begin the process of Teshuvah, or repentance (the word also connotes return, response, renewal, and reconciliation). The Hebrew spelling of the month of Elul, is interpreted as an acronym for "Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li," meaning "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine," a phrase from the Biblical love poem Songs of Songs. Although during the High Holidays we address God as Parent and Sovereign, during Elul we feel close to God as our Beloved.
The forty days from Rosh Hodesh Elul until Yom Kippur (and even through the festival of Sukkot) are seen as the period of teshuvah and divine forgiveness. We sense that God is particularly close to us and loving of us at this time, reaching out to us for reconciliation. Perhaps it is we who are taking the time to draw closer to God by taking more time for mitzvot and spiritual practice.
Traditional practices for the month of Elul include: sounding the shofar daily (except for Shabbat and Erev Rosh Hashanah), saying Selichot prayers to seek divine forgiveness (we will do this on Saturday night,September 11), reading Psalm 27, giving additional tzedakah (charity), visiting the graves of deceased relatives (or if that is not possible, taking time to remember and celebrate their lives), seeking forgiveness from those whom we have wronged, and exchanging Shanah Tovah cards and greetings with friends and relatives.
This year I would like to suggest that as we prepare for the Days of Awe, we remember those whose fast doesn't end Yom Kippur day as ours does. We may wish to donate the cost of the food that we would eat on that day to Mazon, a Jewish organization that feeds the hungry (Mazon.org). Consider also the American Jewish World Service, 45 W. 36th St., New York, New York 10018-7904. Their Emergency Appeal: Sudan, is to help the victims of genocide and ethnic hatred in that country. We will explore these and other tzedakah issues on the coming Days of Awe.
In Jewish tradition, the preparation for an event is often nearly as important as the event itself. For example, we spend a lot of time ridding our homes of leaven prior to Passover. In Elul, we are supposed to spend a lot of time, not in spring-cleaning our homes, but in "fall-cleaning" our souls and relationships. Then we will be prepared to do the serious spiritual tasks of renewal and Teshuvah during the High Holidays ahead.

Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan