Our liturgy says, “A great Shofar is sounded and a still small voice is heard.” On Rosh Hashanah we will have the privilege of hearing that great Shofar together, as a call to re-alignment, a call to remember what is true. And, we will get a chance to listen together for the “still small voice” that only speaks in the depths of our silence.

Shalom friends in our amazing Nahalat Shalom community! I am excited to see you all and pray, sing, and celebrate together during our high holidays and this New Year.

During the month of Elul, leading up to the high holidays, we spend a lot of time doing teshuvah – returning and looking back over the past year or years. Taking stock of ourselves, cheshbon hanefesh (accounting of the soul), what went right and where did I miss the mark? How can I can improve, do better? What strengths do I have that will help me achieve my goals and what are my weaknesses? Do I need to apologize to someone? Is there someone who hurt me, that I need to confront – is it safe or the right time to do so in either situation? This type of self-realization and self-actualization can be exciting and even fun work - and it can also feel very overwhelming and scary.

What is the ‘job’ of Elul? Elul is sometimes described as the month of reflection, where we are instructed to look carefully at our lives—our actions, thoughts, decisions and choices.  Doing so, we may find some parts of ourselves that need a little ‘refresher’—a little polishing—where perhaps our intentions got a little rusty or our thoughtful plans became buried under masses of emails.  How can we identify those parts of ourselves which have become sluggish, full of accumulated ‘stuff’ and thus resistant to change?

The first day of the Hebrew month of Elul begins on Thursday, August 17th.  It offers us an opportunity to start getting ready for the High Holy Days.  This year, Erev Rosh HaShannah is on Friday evening September 15th.   One of the ways that we get ready for the High Holy Days is to read Psalm 27 every day. Go to the bottom of this article for a copy of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s version of Psalm 27.