‘I Am for My Beloved and My Beloved Is for Me’: Why Is the Month of Elul so Important in Judaism?

‘I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me’: Why is the month of Elul so important in Judaism?

It may be the middle of summer on the Gregorian calendar right now, but on the Jewish calendar, we are approaching the end of the year. The month of Elul begins this year at sundown on August 13. Although Elul contains no major Jewish holidays, it is quite an important period of reflection and preparation for the High Holidays, which begin with Rosh Hashanah on the first of the following Hebrew month, Tishrei.  According to Jewish tradition, our…

The Month of Elul

One Nation Under G-d

By the time you read these words, it will probably be Rosh Chodesh Elul or later. Thus, the message should probably reflect the weightiness of this chodesh and the beginning of the preparation for the Yomim Noraim. The problem is that, at the time I am actually writing these words, we are still in the […]

Laws and Customs: Elul

Rabbi Shmuel Lesches, Magid Shiur in the Yeshiva Gedola of Melbourne, Australia, has compiled a guide to the laws and customs of the month of Elul (up to but not including the period of Selichos) for the benefit of the wider Lubavitch community.