The month of Elul beckons us to craft a plan for realizing the lives we wish to lead in the year ahead. However, this week’s parashah, Shoftim, provides a poignant reminder that this month, as well as the Days of Awe, are concerned not just with our personal spiritual development, but with the development of our communal and governing institutions, as well. Shoftim contains very specific instructions regarding procedures for how the Israelites are expected to build their civilization. From guidance for judges, rulers, priests, and prophets; to laws regarding cities of refuge, municipal boundaries, and witness testimony; to rules governing the conduct of war and addressing unsolved murders–the Torah articulates specific expectations for the pursuit of justice, governance, and military conflict. Though Jewish tradition expresses grave concern for our behavior as individuals, our Torah also contains very real expectations for our behavior as members of communities. In fact, the atonement rituals [...]

One of the many traditions that has become part of Elul is sounding the shofar on each morning of the month, reminding us of the imperative to repent. This morning, our students heard the shofar blast for the first time; reminding them, as we suggested, that now is the time to practice t’shuvah–a return toward our best selves. We asked our students to consider an adjective which they hope others would use to describe them. We heard words like honest, kind, and thoughtful. These are the ways in which we want to be known. These are the ways in which we want to be remembered. And yet, so often, we make choices which are bereft of honesty, or kindness, or thoughtfulness. We lie. We cheat. We rush to anger. We frighten others with our malevolence and intolerance. We do all these things, even though we want to be known as honest, [...]

Tonight marks the beginning of Elul, the final month in the Hebrew calendar. Its origins have been linked to the Akkadian word for ‘harvest’, elulu, as well as the Phoenician word for ‘shout,’ alalu, which is derived from a seasonal Phoenician repast celebrating the resurrection of the female goddess Ishtar. From all accounts, Elul held little consequence for the Jews of antiquity, other than the Mishnah’s mention of the month as a potential new year for animal tithes. Although the tax year possesses profound spiritual significance for us all, Elul’s existing identity as a month of introspection and preparation for the Days of Awe only appeared after centuries of development. The Midrash Tanchuma, written sometime between 500-800 CE endowed Elul with Biblical significance, suggesting that the first of Elul was the day Moses ascended Mount Sinai to write the second set of tablets, following the sin of the Golden Calf. Several hundred years later, the [...]