Dear TEE community,
Next Monday night marks the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul. Traditionally, the month of Elul is a time of preparation for the High Holidays, giving us a chance to make teshuvah, repair, with those we have harmed or who have harmed us in the past year. It is also a time of cheshbon ha-nefesh, an “accounting of the self,” in which we reflect on the content and direction of our lives, and consider what adjustments we may wish to make. These practices allow us to enter the holidays feeling balanced and open to renewal.
This year, it feels different. We approach the holidays with additional challenges in the aftermath of October 7th. For many of us, there is a sense of uncertainty and unease about our situation as American Jews. Taken individually, the war in Gaza, the rise of antisemitism, and the growth of authoritarian movements in our country would each be enough to cause us concern. Coming together, as they have, makes it difficult to think about observing the holidays with a sense of clarity and focus.
Usually, I teach a class during Elul that focusses on a particular text or aspect of the High Holidays. This year I will be doing something different. Beginning next week, I will be leading three sessions which are meant to provide an opportunity for us to share our concerns, while also providing Jewish resources for hope and greater certainty. The series is called “Hope for the Holidays,” and is meant to offer just that – a perspective that will allow us to begin the High Holidays with a sense of our connection to a rich Jewish tradition of resistance, resilience and renewal. Details and registration can be found here.
For those of you who would (also) like to make individual preparations for the coming holidays, I have created a High Holiday Resource list which is also available on the Resources page of this website.
May the coming month of Elul be a time of increased wellbeing for all of us.
Rabbi Drorah Setel