It's Elul?

It seems every rabbi I know is blogging something for Elul.  I've gotten invites for Pop (Culture) Elul or Kabbalah Elul or Spa Elul or Manicure Elul or Forgiveness Elul or Craig Taubman's "Jewels of Elul". For some Jews, this time of year is the holiest time of the year.  It is the time when they spend weeks in spiritual, mental and emotional preparation for our Holy Days.  For others, it is just August!

If you aren't hearing a shofar every day (or aren't a Jewish blogger), this month might seem like any other.  You might think, "Sure Rosh Hashanah is 'super early' this year, but what does that have to do with me?!  So I'll go to shul right after Labor Day.  Big Deal"

We can absolutely go into shul on Rosh Hashanah with no preparation.  We can listen to the rabbi and the cantor.  However, if we take a little time, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur can be days to be enjoyed, to be transformed, rather than days to be endured.

What all these rabbis and bloggers are telling us is that Elul is a special time.  Not just in the reminder that Rosh Hashanah is coming, but in the reminder that we are alive (and hopefully well).  We have just about made it another year.  While it isn't our birthday, it is the world's and as such, it is a time for reflection.  Classically, it is the time we are judged, when we pass under the scepter of heaven and it is determined if we will make it one more year.  For some this is an awe-inspiring though, for others, less so.

Elul is a time for us to consider the settings on our spiritual GPS.

• Do we know our destination?
• OR (Where are we going in life?)
• Are we set for highways or country roads?
• Have we picked a well-trodden path or one that is uniquely our own?
• Do we like adventure or quiet?
• Are we challenging ourselves?
• Do we like the music in our vehicle?
• Are the people that we spend our time with the people we TRULY want to associate with?

Some of these questions might sound a little silly, but I think they are rather germane to the time at hand.

The simple act of asking ourselves questions can change our entire experience of Rosh Hashanah.  If we prepare for that time by thinking about ourselves and our actions, Rosh Hashanah can touch our lives in ways we never imagined.