06/15/2024 11:00:01 AM
Shofar Blast: Elul Week Two
09/15/2024 07:00:47 AM
During Elul, a month of preparation before the coming High Holy Days, we hear the call of the Shofar as a reminder: awakeRead more...
Shofar Blast: Elul Week One
09/08/2024 07:00:58 AM
2023 Shofar Blast: Elul Week Four
09/10/2023 06:00:00 AM
2023 Shofar Blast: Elul Week Three
09/03/2023 06:00:00 AM
2023 Shofar Blast: Elul Week Two
08/27/2023 06:00:00 AM
2023 Shofar Blast: Elul Week One
08/20/2023 06:00:00 AM
(2022) Shofar Blast: Jewish Paradoxes
09/18/2022 09:00:00 AM
(2022) Shofar Blast: Week Three
09/11/2022 09:00:00 AM
(2022) Shofar Blast: Week Two
09/04/2022 09:00:00 AM
(2022) Shofar Blast: Slow Down for Elul
08/28/2022 09:00:00 AM
(2021) Shofar Blast: Loving Your Neighbor
08/29/2021 06:00:00 AM
(2021) Shofar Blast: Being Welcoming
08/22/2021 06:00:00 AM
(2021) Shofar Blast: Paying Attention
08/15/2021 06:00:00 AM
(2021) Shofar Blast: Living Our Values
08/08/2021 06:00:00 AM
(2020) Shofar Blasts! - Elul Week 4
09/13/2020 09:00:00 AM
(2020) Week 4: Acknowledging the Hungers Within Us
09/13/2020 06:00:00 AM
24 Elul 5780 / 13 September 2020
What are the things we want most in our lives? The answers are probably different for each one of us, but I suspect in many cases they fall into two general categories: “things that keep us alive” and “things that help us feel good.” Things that keep us alive in the immediate sense tend to be the same for all of us: health, sustenance, shelter, and safety. All very important things! The...Read more...
(2020) Shofar Blasts! - Elul Week 3
09/06/2020 09:00:00 AM
(2020) Week 3: Perspective & Invitation to S'lichot
09/06/2020 06:00:00 AM
17 Elul 5780 / 6 September 2020
Do you remember that old movie, Groundhog Day, with Bill Murray? It came out in 1993, 27 years ago – the same year I graduated High School. :) Our boys are getting older, and Rabbi Randi Nagel and I decided to introduce them to the classics, so we started weekly family movie nights this past summer. Let me explain what our understanding of the classics are: Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Ferris...Read more...
(2020) Week Two: Connection
08/30/2020 06:00:01 AM
10 Elul 5780 / 30 August 2020
One subject at the forefront of our minds this summer has been connection. From deep personal connections to casual conversations, even our internet connections have been important, now perhaps more than ever before!
In Jewish tradition, we are taught that the mitzvot (commandments, things we are supposed to do and ways we are supposed to behave) can be discussed as two overall...Read more...
(2020) Week One: Capacity
08/23/2020 06:00:00 AM
3 Elul 5780 / 23 August 2020
The High Holy Days are not just Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They are a season of time that begin NOW in the month of Elul and continue through the end of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Elul is the Hebrew month directly preceding Rosh Hashanah – the last 29 days of the Jewish Year.
There is work to be done in Elul. The great journey of turning, repentance and transformation begins...Read more...
(2019) What Now? The 10 Days of Repentance
09/29/2019 06:00:00 AM
Elul 29 Sept: Week Five
What Now? The 10 Days of Repentance
Task: Celebrate High Holy Days at Beth Ahabah and continue our inner work.
Today is the last day of Elul. Tonight, Rosh Hashanah begins. It is not too late to do the work of Teshuvah. There is still time to find forgiveness. You are worth the effort to return to the person you want to be in this New Year. Judaism gives us a gift, The Ten Days...Read more...
(2019) The Importance of Solitude
09/22/2019 06:00:00 AM
Elul 22 Sept: Week Four
The Importance of Solitude
Task: Create at least one opportunity during the week for solitude (replicable during year).
Last night at our community Selichot service, we chanted a brief line from the book of Lamentations: “Pour out your heart like water” (Lam. 2:19). This is one of the essential images of the High Holy Day season, the idea of our heart cracking open, of becoming vulnerable, and of...Read more...
(2019) Finding Forgiveness Now
09/15/2019 06:00:00 AM
Elul 15 Sept: Week Three
Finding Forgiveness Now
Task: Come to our community Selichot Service, Sat. Sept. 21.
With one week left in the month of Elul, there is a marked increase in the urgency for preparation and the need for repentance. This week, on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah, we will recite prayers for forgiveness called Selichot (pronounced “S'lee-KHOHT”) in order to make sure we as individuals...Read more...
(2019) Looking Inward: Contemplation and Mindfulness
09/08/2019 06:00:00 AM
Elul 8 Sept: Week Two
Looking Inward: Contemplation and Mindfulness
Task: Attend the Looking Inward event on Tues. Sept. 10 (or ask Cantor for a take-home version).
Last week we kicked off the High Holy Day season by identifying 15 positive qualities and 14 growth areas we want to embrace in the coming year – one for each day of the month of Elul. This week, we ask the question: how can we actualize our goals for...Read more...
(2019) Introduction to Elul and the Start of Real Change
09/01/2019 06:00:00 AM
Elul 1 Sept: Week One
Introduction to Elul and the Start of Real Change
Task: Fill in the self-improvement handout (click here to download).
The High Holy Days are not just Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They are a season of time that begin NOW in the month of Elul and continue through the end of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Elul is the Hebrew month directly preceding Rosh Hashanah – the last 29...Read more...
