Tonight is Rosh Chodesh Elul, the “Head of the Month of Elul,” preceding Rosh HaShanah, the “Head of the Year.” This is when we begin reflecting on the year that’s drawing to a close and turn our thoughts to the coming year. Rosh HaShanah is also called Yom Harat Olam, “Day of the World’s Birthing.” This year, after an evening and first day of Rosh HaShanah prayer and music at the synagogue, on the second day of the holiday we’ll gather at Kotke Ranch for a family friendly celebration complete with a Birthday Party for the World. Our tradition gives us three strategies for renewing ourselves at the time of the world’s mystic renewal:
Teshuvah ~ Often translated as repentance, teshuvah more literally means turning, as in turning away from bad habits and turning toward good ones, turning away from negativity and toward positivity, turning around bad situations and miscommunications with our fellow humans, and re-turning to one’s spiritual source. As we start the month of Elul, you might want to scan your life and choose a few areas for doing teshuvah, starting with any pressing concerns between you and anyone else, and moving on to personal patterns and proclivities you would like to turn in a better direction. It’s very helpful to replace “I won’t do X anymore” with “Instead of doing X, I’ll do Y,” as we read in Psalms: ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב – Turn from bad and do good.” Some people invite a relative, friend or acquaintance to be a teshuvah partner: “Help me with my goals for the New Year and I’ll help you with yours.” It can be a great way to deepen a relationship. Or you might enjoy taking part in this 3-session learning with the wonderful Rabbi Michael Strassfeld: Change Through Acceptance: the Hasidic Notion of Teshuvah.
Tefilah ~ This is usually translated as prayer, as we speak of our TBE Tefilah Leaders who conduct prayer services. The delightful site Aleph Beta gives us this explanation: “Tefillah (Heb. תפילה; te-feel-ah) is the Hebrew word for prayer. The word itself contains a range of meanings. The Hebrew root פלל connotes “executing judgment” (Exodus 21:22) or “thinking” (Genesis 48:11). In this sense, the word להתפלל, to pray, may also refer to a process of accounting or contemplation.” The Meaning of Tefillah | Aleph Beta For some of us this involves speaking aloud the prayers in our siddur (prayer book) and machzor (High Holy Day prayer book), either in community or alone. For others of us, this involves speaking spontaneous words of prayer, aloud or silently, directing our hearts toward a Divine Listener. And for others this might mean wordless reflection in which we cast wide the net of awareness or focus intently on a particular facet of reality, seeking insight, offering gratitude or luxuriating in wonder. Whatever your mode of prayer-full reflection, the month of Elul is a great time to do a little more of it, to expand your capacity for welcoming the new year with hopefulness and joy.
Tzedakah ~ This we may translate as generous-giving-to-increase-justice-in-the-world, because it’s based on the word tzedek, meaning justice or righteousness. This coming Shabbat I’ll have the honor of chanting this verse at Daniel Tilles’ bar mitzvah: tzedek, tzedek tirdof ~ Justice, justice you shall pursue, meaning that we pursue justice through just means. This is the precept most commonly practiced throughout the Jewish American community where many of us don’t attend synagogue services or concern ourselves with an annual teshuvah practice, but we donate, donate, donate to worthy causes, some Jewish, but more often not. American Jews and charitable giving: An enduring tradition – Half of US’s 25 most generous philanthropists are Jews. Few give to Jewish groups. As our troubled world grapples with war, hatred and unnatural disasters, there is no shortage of opportunities for New Year tzedakah. Choose the organization of your choice or donate to the Temple Beth El Tzedakah Fund to redress injustice and alleviate suffering here in Humboldt County and elsewhere.
We have a tradition that Elul, the name of our month, is an acronym for the initial letters of a four-word line from Song of Songs: “I am my beloved and my beloved is mine – אני לדודי ודודי לי.” Why do we connect this poetic love imagery to the month of Elul? Because during this time we want to draw close to one another and close to our Source through love, and our teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah are loving acts performed for the sake of the Beloved. It’s all about love.
I’ll love seeing you all at our High Holy Day events. And I’ll LOVE seeing your names on the signups for holiday tasks including hospitality and security, setting up and cleaning up, all holy work done, I hope, out of love for our tradition, families and community.
I wish you all chodesh tov, a good new month.
B’ahava ~ With love,
Rabbi Naomi