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Have you ever tried to make a big change? 
To create a significant impact? 
To leave a meaningful legacy? 

While these are all things we have the power to do, very rarely are they achieved by simply showing up one day and getting it done. On the contrary, they take forethought, preparation, and practice. 

Such is the case with the High Holy Days. 

This special time of year, known as the Days of Awe, are intended to meaningfully impact our behavior and soul. The goal is to emerge from these days a better person than when we entered them. This is a huge task, and not one that can easily be accomplished by simply turning on the service to participate. Our tradition recognizes this, acknowledges the importance of forethought, preparation and practice, and thus gives us the opportunity to begin our sacred work of preparation during the month of Elul. 

Elul, the Jewish month immediately preceding our New Year, is a time for each of us to search our souls and try to prepare our hearts and minds for the work of the High Holy Days.  This month and the spiritual reflection that takes place during it is understood as an important precursor to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  As much as we wish it were so, it is not easy to simply jump in to transformative acts of repentance and prayer. Jewish tradition knows this and tries to help us prepare with a month long effort of reflection, often referred to as Heshbon HaNefesh - an accounting of the soul. 

This year, in an effort to help us all connect more deeply with the meaning and hope of our High Holy Days, I will be sharing a daily reflection with our congregation during the month of Elul. I have collected poems, thoughts and text that I believe can help us engage in meaningful reflection. I will be emailing out one a day (except on Shabbat), for the entire month of Elul - which occurs August 21st through September 18th. I hope you will take the time to read them and contemplate their insight. I hope they will help your soul begin to awaken to this special season, allowing the Days of Awe to be successful and impactful. 

Warmly,