As summer draws to a close, the attention of the Jewish people turns to the coming holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Succot.  Our thoughts, however, are not primarily on celebration, but on preparation for we understand that these coming festivals are at once joyous but also very serious.  Therefore, the last month of the Jewish civil year, Elul, is completely dedicated to our spiritual preparation for Rosh Hashana.  This then is where we begin our study.

The month of Elul is a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.  Because it is the last month of the Jewish civil year, it is a particularly propitious time for self-examination, retrospection and sincere repentance for the failures of the past         year. 

The name of the month (spelled Alef-Lamed-Vav-Lamed ) is said to be an acronym of "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li," "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine," a quote from Song of Songs 6:3, where the Beloved is, of course, Hashem, and the "I" is the children of Israel.  In Aramaic (the vernacular of the Jewish people at the time that the month names were adopted), the word "Elul" means "search," which is equally appropriate, because this is a time of year when we search our hearts.

According to tradition, the month of Elul is the time that Moses spent on Mount Sinai preparing the second set of tablets after the incident of the golden calf. (Ex. 32; 34:27-28) He ascended on Rosh Chodesh Elul (the first day of Elul) and descended forty days later on the 10th of Tishri, at the end of Yom Kippur, when repentance was complete.

During the month of Elul, from the second day of Elul to the 28th day, the shofar is blown after morning services every weekday.  The shofar is not blown on Shabbat . Four blasts are blown: tekiah, shevarim-teruah, tekiah (four distinct soundings of the shofar, familiar to those who blow it).  The blowing of the shofar is a wake-up call to spiritual 'sleepers', designed to rouse us from our complacency. It is a call to repentance. The blast of the shofar is a very piercing sound when done properly, just as genuine repentance should pierce our hearts, motivating us to change.

Elul is also a time to begin the process of asking forgiveness for wrongs done to other people.  We learn from the scriptures that Hashem cannot forgive us for sins committed against another person until we have first obtained forgiveness from the person we have wronged.   This is not as easy a task as one might think.  It requires a genuine humbling of ourselves to seek out those we have wronged during the past year, and humbly, without excuses or rationalizations, ask their forgiveness for any hurt, pain or embarrassment we have caused them, whether directly through harsh words, angry outbursts or sarcasm which embarrassed them in front of other people; or indirectly through gossip, sarcastic criticism or belittling of others behind their backs.  In any of these cases, we are enjoined at this time of year to seek out those whom we have hurt in this way, confess our sin against them and ask for forgiveness before Rosh Hashana.

Here in Israel and among Jewish communities around the world, this practice is taken very, very seriously.  Phone calls are placed; letters are written and personal visits to family and friends are made with the intent to rectify any wrongs that have been done this past year. 

It is never an easy practice to humble oneself before another person, particularly when we are so inclined to excuse or rationalize our behavior, justifying our attitudes as legitimate for this or that reason.  However, Elul is the time when all excuses, rationalizations and justifications MUST be laid aside and a greater issue faced; i.e., if I have transgressed against another and have not asked forgiveness, this month I must do so in order to cleanse and purify my heart before Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Repentance is one of the greatest gifts Hashem has given to us.  It is the key to forgiveness for without it, there is no forgiveness and we remain prisoners of our sinfulness.  King David is the paragon of repentance and during the month of Elul, Psalm 51 is a favorite prayer of most Jews.  It begins with the cry of David, "Have mercy upon me, O God, as befits Your faithfulness; in keeping with Your abundant compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly of my iniquity, and purify me of my sin; for I recognize my transgressions, and am ever conscious of my sin.  Against You alone have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are just in Your sentence, and right in Your judgment."

The full psalm is a beautiful treatise on repentance and forgiveness, on Hashem's mercy on those who turn to Him.  Even in these opening verses, we are brought face to face with a fundamental truth: the first step to repentance is recognizing that we have indeed sinned and acknowledging it. Secondly, realizing that it is against Hashem that we have sinned; not simply against another person.

This is a very powerful time in the annual life of the Jewish people and the spiritual ramifications of what happens among us during the month of Elul are indeed far-reaching.  Only heaven truly knows the depth and breadth.

I recommend that all of us during this coming month of Elul should use Psalm 51 as a basis for meditation and prayer as we prepare our hearts for the coming holy festivals.  This year the month of Elul begins at sunset on August 24, 2006.

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