Elul Day 1

Dear Elul Writers,

I like the drama of our seasons. I love that the first little sprouts of fresh greens in the spring are gently plucked from the soil and placed on our seder plates; that we dip them in water that tastes like tears, mixing the hope of renewal with the pain of a world still unredeemed. I like pouring brilliantly yellow-green olive oil into the chanukiah, and kindling lights on the very darkest nights of the year. I like cutting down thick stalks of bamboo and pretending that I know the first thing about engineering as we build a sukkah; a fragile structure that is meant to remind us that all of life is a fragile structure. And, of course, I love the beginning of this season of return.

Elul is a gateway into the year to come. It is a spacious landing spot for people seeking spiritual meaning and attunement. It is a month that is welcoming to all who enter. From one new moon to the next, we give ourselves permission to be self-centered. Which is to say, we center our selves. We examine them. We appreciate their preciousness, and we attempt to wipe them clean of all the schmutz they’ve acquired on the journey through the year.

I can’t pretend to know what we have all been through during the last eleven months. But, I am certain that we have felt joy and sadness, silliness and frustration, times of feeling surprisingly adept and moments of feeling completely helpless. I invite you to bring it all into this month of reflection (I promise to do the same). 

Prompt

Today we have the opportunity to hear the shofar for the first time. I’ll paraphrase the Rambam who says that the hidden meaning of the shofar’s call is, “Wake up, you sleepyheads. Take a good look at yourselves. Make teshuvah. Remember that you were created to serve something greater than yourselves.” If this is the general wake-up call, meant for the masses, what is the specific wake-up call that you need to hear? What do you hope to be awake to in the month ahead? 

Chodesh tov (again),
Jordan

PS: As a reminder, you won't receive a prompt on Fridays, so look for your next prompt Saturday evening.