Elul Day 25
Dear Elul Writers,
Rosh Hashanah is sometimes referred to as the birthday of the world (hayom harat olam), but that is a confusing designation in a tradition whose creation myth spans seven days. We come to understand through a midrash that Rosh Hashanah actually marks the day when humanity was created (that’s Day 6 for those of you keeping track at home). So, counting backwards, the start of creation would actually take place on the 25th of Elul. That’s today.
There is something that feels reassuring about this calculus; nothing starts or finishes in one go. Creation is a process, we are in process, even the Kadosh Baruch Hu is constantly becoming. So, how do we mark this 25th day that sets the story of creation in motion? With birthday candles, how else?!\
I have learned from my friend and teacher R’ Ebn Leader a tradition that comes from one of the great 19th Century jurists and kabbalists relating to the 25th of Elul. R’ Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad teaches that the day can be marked by the lighting of five candles, which correspond to the five times light is mentioned in the creation story. Additionally, people are encouraged to recite the aleph-bet 27(!) times, corresponding to the 22 regular letters and the 5 final letters in the Hebrew language.
I don’t know how many times I will get through the aleph-bet tonight, but I love the idea that by chanting these letters I am returning to the building blocks of the language. Every story we’ve been told, every story that we tell about ourselves is made up of these forms.
Prompt
Like the child in the classic Chasidic tale, who doesn’t know the traditional prayers but is able to chant the aleph-bet, we hope that returning to a stream of letters can allow our hopes and prayer to ascend to new heights. Today, on the 25th Day of Elul, I encourage you to light five candles, and to chant or write out the letters of the aleph-bet or the alphabet. If you feel like journaling via an acrostic, go for it. If you want the letters to stand alone, that will work too. Might it be helpful to remind yourself that every act of creation is preceded by something? What lesson do the building blocks of language have to teach you about the story you want to tell in the year to come?
Laila tov,
Jordan