| Date | Submission | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Elul Tues-Wed 23-Aug |
I equate preparing for the New Year as resetting my clock. I evaluate what is working in my life (and not), what I actively must change, and plan concrete steps to accomplish that. This time of year is solemn but also very uplifting for me. |  |
| 2 Elul Wed-Thu 24-Aug |
I am trying to remember to pray at least twice a day, thanking G-d for all that I have been given, and asking that the new year will bring better health for me and continued good health for my family and friends. |  |
| 3 Elul Thu-Fri 25-Aug |
I prepare for Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and the new year by expressing gratitude for the wisdom of our Jewish seasons and traditions. I try to embrace G-d’s mercy so that I can make the most of each new beginning. In looking forward with hope, I assess the things that I have accomplished so that they can be built upon, I evaluate the things that I should let go and ask for help to do so. I generally think about how I can do things differently so that life becomes better both internally and externally, and I plan ways to try to increase the beneficial impact I can effect within my sphere. |  |
| 4 Elul Fri-Sat 26-Aug |
“Great is repentance, for it brings healing to the world.”
—Talmud, Berakhot |
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| 5 Elul Sat-Sun 27-Aug |
We are going to our family’s house for Rosh HaShanah dinner and service. We will make sure our fancy clothes still fit and pack! |  |
| 6 Elul Sun-Mon 28-Aug |
“If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?”
– Rebbe Nachman of Breslov |
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| 7 Elul Mon-Tues 29-Aug |
http://jewishmom.com/2010/03/17/tinfoil-tizzy-hilarious-passover-cleaning-photos/ |
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| 8 Elul Tues-Wed 30-Aug |
How am I preparing spiritually for the New Year?
I have already started by becoming more involved in Temple and stepping out of my comfort zone, namely, volunteering to do Torah Study every other month. |
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| 9 Elul Wed-Thu 31-Aug |
I am preparing for the New Year by continuing to study Torah, attend worship services, especially Selichot and the special services for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and preparing to read from the Torah at one of these services.
I am also especially grateful at this time of year that G-d has allowed me to live this long and I pray that I may have some more time to live, worship, and learn. |
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| 10 Elul Thu-Fri 1-Sep |
I take a walk in the woods and use that peaceful time to think back over the past year; things I did.
Then I begin to put my thoughts together about the new year, and what I can do to improve. |
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| 11 Elul Fri-Sat 2-Sep |
As someone whose knowledge of Jewish traditions is very limited, I am looking forward to observing the rituals and learning the meaning of Rosh HaShanah. |  |
| 12 Elul Sat-Sun 3-Sep |
“Rosh HaShanah is the Creation of the World. It is a time to recreate ourselves by recognizing our faults, repenting and asking forgiveness from others for our sins, all leading to atonement, granted by God for our actions.”
— Marc Rubenstein |
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| 13 Elul Sun-Mon 4-Sep |
I look to a few things: I think about ways I might not be treating others or myself well. I ask myself if I am taking particular time to focus on the really important things, instead of the silly lists we have in daily life. Most importantly, I think about ways to make myself better, as I am not done growing yet – none of us are, if we give ourselves a chance. And I look forward to Yom Kippur, when I give myself permission to ignore everything but these thoughts. |  |
| 14 Elul Mon-Tues 5-Sep |
I follow the tradition of sounding the shofar every day during the month of Elul. |  |
| 15 Elul Tues-Wed 6-Sep |
It used to be so simple. A new dress. White gloves. Chicken soup. Special round challah. Family. Candles. The Cantor all in white chanting familiar melodies. It has gotten more complicated. We buried my father on Erev Rosh HaShanah and couldn’t sit shiva. And years later, my nephew’s death on the second day.
There is so much to be grateful for; so much to be happy about. I got to Israel! I am going to be a grandmother! Yet, I fear for our nation and our world. So much hate and violence and corruption. Obscene wealth and starving children. I get hugs for rescuing food but it should not be necessary. I have been thinking a lot about these preparations. It feels very odd that we will be out of town at a family wedding for Selichot. Champagne and dancing? Oy vey! I keep coming back to that beautiful poem about Ecclesiastes being wrong. We really do have to do it all at once, laugh and cry at the same time with the same eyes. Peace. |
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| 16 Elul Wed-Thurs 7-Sep |
Return — A Prayer for Elul
Please click here to read this powerful poem We are not reprinting it here due to lack of copyright permission |
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| 17 Elul Thurs-Fri 8-Sep |
I am very lucky in that my daughter and her husband have friends and parents who have accepted us as part of the family and always invite us to share the holidays with them. It’s not like being in Pittsburgh with Temple David, but it is still a homey feeling. |  |
| 18 Elul Fri-Sat 9-Sep |
“On Rosh HaShanah we are aware that G-d is judging us. But G-d is truly judging us every moment of every day. It is only on Rosh HaShanah that we, as a people, pause to reflect on this phenomenon.”
— Michael Mascolo |
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| 19 Elul Sat-Sun 10-Sep |
As the new year approaches, I look back over the past year. I think about my actions and how I might improve this coming year. I also think of all I have to be thankful for and pray that this year will be a healthy one for me and my family. |  |
| 20 Elul Sun-Mon 11-Sep |
“A righteous man falls down seven times and gets up.” – King Solomon, Proverbs, 24:16. Life is all about the ability to get up from challenge. Greatness is defined as getting up one more time than you’ve fallen down. The Torah defines someone who’s righteous not as someone who had succeeded, but someone who has persevered. It creates a paradigm of what righteousness is – trying to do what’s right, getting up from failure, and keep moving forward. Charlie Harary (20 Favorite Jewish Quotes) |
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| 21 Elul Mon-Tues 12-Sep |
I reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, plan improvements for the upcoming year, and think of ways to enhance my participation during the High Holy Days. |  |
| 22 Elul Tues-Wed 13-Sep |
As the High Holy Days approach I recall the traditions established by my parents and the joy of looking forward to the holidays. My earliest memories of Judaism are walking three miles with my dad back and forth to Temple when I was four years old. My mother undertook enormous preparations in cooking delicious culinary delights. I have shining memories of my childhood temple, rejoicing in the holidays and recalling the legacy of my beloved parents. Now I look forward to our rabbi’s powerful sermons, our melodic choir and being with my strong Temple family. |  |
| 23 Elul Wed-Thurs 14-Sep |
These are the days of preparation. These are the days of memories past. These are the days of future fulfillment. These are the days in which we pray, “…Return us to You, Hashem, and we will return; Mishkan T’filah, p. 374 |
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| 24 Elul Thurs-Fri 15-Sep |
I prepare for the High Holy Days and the new year by prefacing my requests for forgiveness from individuals with: “As Yom Kippur approaches, I want to ask your forgiveness…” I find that the communal power of the time of year gives me strength and courage. |
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| 25 Elul Fri-Sat 16-Sep |
I prepare for the High Holy Days and the new year by reflecting on the Jewish communities that have welcomed me in during the past year. |  |
| 26 Elul Sat-Sun 17-Sep |
“Yeshuat Hashem k’heref ayin. The salvation of G-d is like the blink of an eye.” –Pesikta Zutreta, Esther 4:17. No matter how bleak something may look, salvation could be just around the corner. G-d can change everything in the blink of an eye. This quote teaches us to always have hope; redemption can come at any moment. Danielle Haas (20 Favorite Jewish Quotes) |
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| 27 Elul Sun-Mon 18-Sep |
“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” –Abraham Lincoln |
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| 28 Elul Mon-Tues 19-Sep |
Autumn has always been my favorite season…from so many years ago when my parents took us shopping for a special “high holiday outfit,” to the excitement of school starting for my own children, to the present when we are fortunate enough to spend the holidays with our grandchildren…my prayer is for good health and peace in the year to come. |  |
| 29 Elul Tues-Wed 20-Sep |
“The blessing over the blowing of the shofar on Rosh HaShanah refers to the mitzvah as “hearing the voice of the Shofar,” but since that voice speaks without words, the message that is heard depends a great deal on who is doing the listening.” –Douglas Aronin |
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