Elul

This year, the Jewish month of Elul begins at sundown on August 10, 2010.

Elul is the month leading up to the High Holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The name “Elul” comes from the acronym of “ani l’dodi v’dodi li” (alef-lamed-vav-lamed), which translates to a verse from the Song of Songs 6:3. “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine.” The word “Elul” also means “search” in Aramaic, thus the name of the month has a double meaning. The Aramaic meaning is especially apropos because it is a time of introspection and repentance.

As Jews prepare for the High Holidays, there are specific traditions and rituals that are performed during Elul. Traditionally, the shofar is blown after the morning services, with the exception of Shabbat services. The shofar is a call to repentance. The shofar blasts are designed to awaken sleepers, in the spiritual sense, and inspire them to begin their period of contemplation.

Elul is also the time Jews begin the process of asking forgiveness for the wrongs they have done to others. We must ask forgiveness from those we have harmed before we can seek forgiveness from G~d. In the process, Elul is a time that one contemplates his own mortality. Many Jews visit cemeteries to remember their loved ones.