Elul
| Elul | |
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 The shofar is blown every morning from the first day of Elul until Rosh Hashanah (except on Shabbat). | |
| Native name | אֱלוּל (Hebrew) |
| Calendar | Hebrew calendar |
| Month number | 6 |
| Number of days | 29 |
| Season | Summer (Northern Hemisphere) |
| Gregorian equivalent | August–September |
| Repentance in Judaism Teshuva "Return" |
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Repentance, atonement and higher ascent in Judaism |
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In the Hebrew Bible |
| Aspects |
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In the Jewish calendar |
| In contemporary Judaism |
Elul (Hebrew: אֱלוּל, Standard ʾElūl, Tiberian ʾĔlūl) is the twelfth month of the civil year and the sixth month of the religious year in the Hebrew calendar. It is a month of 29 days. Elul usually occurs in August–September on the Gregorian calendar.[1]
Etymology
The name of the month Elul, like the names of the rest of the Hebrew calendar months, was brought from the Babylonian captivity, and originated from the Akkadian word for "harvest". A similar month name was also used in Akkadian, in the form Elūlu. The month is known as Araḫ Ulūlu "harvest month" in the Babylonian calendar.
Eylül is also the name for September in
Customs
In Jewish tradition, the month of Elul is a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The word "Elul" is similar to the root of the verb "search" in Aramaic. Jewish sources from the 14th century and on write that the Hebrew word "Elul" can be understood to be an bacronym for the phrase "Ani L'dodi V'dodi Li" – "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine", referring to one's relationship with God.[3] Elul is seen as a time to search one's heart and draw close to God in preparation for the coming Day of Judgement, Rosh Hashanah, and Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.[4] Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi compared, by way of analogy, the month of Elul to a king visiting his peasants in the field before returning to his palace.
During the month of Elul, there are a number of special
Aside from the blowing of the shofar, the other significant ritual practice during Elul is to recite
Many Jews also visit the
Another social custom is to begin or end all letters written during the month of Elul with wishes that the recipient have a good year. The standard blessing is "K'tiva VaHatima Tova" ("a good writing and sealing [of judgement]"), meaning that the person should be written and sealed in the Book of Life for a good year. Tradition teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, each person is written down for a good or a poor year, based on their actions in the previous one, and their sincere efforts at atoning for mistakes or harm. On Yom Kippur, that fate is "sealed."
In Jewish history
- 1 Elul (1313 BCE) – Moses ascends Mount Sinai for 3rd set of 40 days
- 1 Elul (520 BCE) – The Prophet Haggai commands that the rebuilding of the Second Temple continue
- 2 Elul (1555) – Shulchan Aruch published
- 3 Elul (1935) – Death of Abraham Isaac Kook
- 5 Elul – Ezekiel the prophet has a prophecy of the destruction of Solomon's Temple
- 10 Elul (2105 BCE) – Noah dispatches raven
- 12 Elul (1294) – Birth of Nachmanides
- 12 Elul (1945) – Rabbi
- 13 Elul (1909) – Death of Yosef Hayyim
- 14 Elul (1983) – Birth of Shlomo Rafuel Ben Moshe Dovid
- 15 Elul (1964) – birth of Watson de Emmanuel, OBE
- 17 Elul (2105 BCE) – Noah dispatches dove
- 18 Elul (1609) – Death of Judah Loew ben Bezalel
- 18 Elul (1698) – Birth of Baal Shem Tov
- 18 Elul (1745) – Birth of rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
- 23 Elul (2105 BCE) – Dove brings olive Leaf to Noah
- 23 Elul (1942) – Death of the Grand Rabbi of Treblinka
- 23 Elul (1978) – Avery Fisher Hall of New York Philharmonic conducted by Zubin Mehta
- 23 Elul (2001) – September 11 attacks
- 24 Elul (1933) – Death of Israel Meir Kagan
- 25 Elul (3761 BCE) – The 1st day of the world according to the Genesis creation narrative
- 25 Elul (335 BCE) – Jerusalem Walls Rebuilt
- 25 Elul (2nd century CE) – Death of Simeon bar Yochai
- 27 Elul (1855 CE) – Death of Sholom Rokeach
- 28 Elul (1983 CE) – Death of Rabbi Yoel Halpern
- 29 Elul (1789 CE) – Birth of Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
See also
References
- ^ "Rosh Chodesh Elul" ראש חודש אלול. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ "Welcome to Elul: Relationship is the key". My Jewish Learning. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
- ^ "Shir Hashirim - Song of Songs - Chapter 6". Chabad.org. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ a b Suissa, David (21 August 2013). "Love in the time of Elul". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ Hapardes Rabbinical Monthly Journal Volume 19 Issue 7 October 1945 Page 7 (retrieved July 19, 2020)
- ^ "Hamodia, Inyan Magazine (Vol. XV, Issue 706), April 25 2012 Kinyan L'Shabbos Page 16".
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External links
- Dates of Elul
- Resources on the Month of Elul Archived 2020-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
- The month of Elul
- An in-depth discussion of the tradition of hearing shofar on Elul, plus meditations on the sound of shofar for each day of the month, can be found at The Shofar of Elul
- Jewels of Elul: A reading for each day of Elul from a diverse background of Jewish sources.