The Month Of Elul

The Month of Elul

Countdown to Elul 1
August 21, 2009

(Days : Hours : Minutes : Seconds)

Now, I know the month of Elul is not a Holy Day, so please save the E-mails! But most believers really do not understand just what this month is. Elul is the last month of the Jewish civil calendar, and the sixth month of the Jewish religious calendar.

By tradition, Elul is the month of examination. Just as in December, most Gentiles begin writing out their New Year's resolutions (where did this bizarre custom come from?), so do most Jews begin examining themselves in Elul in preparation for the High Holy Days. This is a good time to see where you have fallen short of the mark, and turn from such deeds for the coming year.

Shabbes 153a
"We learnt elsewhere, R. Eliezer said: Repent one day before your death. His disciples asked him, Does then one know on what day he will die? Then all the more reason that he repent to-day, he replied, lest he die to-morrow, and thus his whole life is spent in repentance. And Solomon too said in his wisdom, Let thy garments be always white; and let not thy head lack ointment. R. Johanan b. Zakkai said: This may be compared to a king who summoned his servants to a banquet without appointing a time. The wise ones adorned themselves and sat at the door of the palace. `for,' said they. `is anything lacking in a royal palace?' The fools went about their work, saying, `can there be a banquet without preparations'? Suddenly the king desired the presence of his servants: the wise entered adorned, while the fools entered soiled. The king rejoiced at the wise but was angry with the fools. `Those who adorned themselves for the banquet,' ordered he, `let them sit, eat and drink. But those who did not adorn themselves for the banquet, let them stand and watch.' R. Meir's son-in-law said in R. Meir's name: Then they too would merely look as being in attendance. But both sit, the former eating and the latter hungering, the former drinking and the latter thirsting, for it is said, Therefore thus saith the L-rd G-d, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: [behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:] behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart. Another, interpretation: `Let thy garments be always white' this refers to fringes; `and let not thy head lack ointment' to tefillin."

The letters of Elul (Aleph ), Lamed l, Vav w, Lamed l) are the abbreviations of "Ani l'Dodi V'dodi Li", or "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" which — of course — is from Shir-HaShirim. The letters added together total 67, or the 66 books of the TaNaKh / B'rit Chadashah with the enablement of HASHEM (HASHEM Echad` — Aleph). When we come in repentance to the feet of Yeshua, he responds in love for his beloved, the body of Messiah. We who are resurrected with him, know his love. In this month of examination, is repentance too much to ask of us, when he gave his life in an agonizing way?

Yom Teruah is coming soon, the celebration of the return of Messiah, when we shall blow the shofar. In that time, we shall all search our ways. But Elul is a proper time, the month of examination. Let's all come before the Messiah of Yisra'el in repentance. "Turn unto me, HASHEM, that I may forsake my sins; Make me mindful of thy presence that I may mend my ways."

During the month of Elul, the traditional greetings are Shanah tovah ("A good year") or Le-shanah tovah tikatevu ("May you be inscribed for a good year [in the Book of Life]" or Le-shanah tovah u-metukah tikateivu ("May you be inscribed for a good and sweet year"); or — less common — Ketivah tovah ("A good inscription [in the Book of Life])."

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