Elul Study

On the 1st of Elul, Moses climbed Mount Sinai for a third forty-day stay--forty cosmic days which unleashed the power of teshuvah for all generations....

The peasant behind his plow has access to the king in a manner unavailable to the highest ranking minister in the royal court when the king is in the palace...

We are bound up with Torah in a reciprocal relationship. As Torah is the blueprint for the universe, the universe reflects all components of Torah. And as it is with the macrocosm, so it is with the microcosm, with man...

The festivals of the High Holiday season pluck every string of our being, from introspection to commitment to solemnity to joy. The key to these diverse experiences is the opening line of Psalm 27: "G-d is my light"

Only when we turn around do we realize the truth, the inner essence, and then we are “face to face” which does not only mean that we can finally look at each other, but more so, that we can look in each other...

The collective vessel of the people of Israel is an organism unto itself that has its own life path and journey from birth to maturity...

It's all there: the underpinnings of creation, the saga of human struggle, and the ultimate triumph which arises from the imperfections and failings of man -- all that was played out in a four-month period...

In every relationship, there are times when the "male" or giving partner takes the initiative, and times when the "female" or receiving partner is the first to express her feelings

Is it hypocritical to resolve to do a particular mitzvah when the person remains an altogether “unspiritual individual”? Would it be proper for me to commit to pray every day if I am not yet prepared to give up non-kosher foods?

The month prior to the High Holidays traditionally it is a month of awe and of serious introspect. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi added a new dimension to this month.

There are "cities of refuge" in space, and there is a city of refuge in time...

How does G-d prepare for His annual reelection? Does He just sit up there in His "palace" trusting in our good sense to proclaim Him king once again? Does He go after the vote, mingling with the masses, pressing the flesh, kissing babies?

It's the time of year that Jews bless each other with life and health, sustenance and happiness. How does the blessing thing work?

The first order of business for the month of reckoning is some soul-searching regarding our approach to our Jewish obligations. Do we run our spiritual business like an entrepreneur, or like a low-level, nine-to-five employee?

In Elul, teshuvah is no longer a matter of cataclysmic “moments of truth” or something to be extracted from the depths of the prayerbook. It is as plentiful and accessible as air...

Leather seats, user-friendly ticketing, signature blue chips and 16 channel satellite TV makes Jetblue. Before takeoff, their TV screens flash a “Thank you for flying with us. Without you, we’d just be flying a bunch of TV’s around the sky.”

Other religions are based on a philosophy; their codes of conduct a direct consequence of their belief system. Judaism, however, is based on a Torah which is principally a book of rules. Jewish philosophy developed afterwards, and is based on the interpretations of the laws

The King is in the field. Okay, we know that the King refers to G‑d. What about the rest? What is the field? What does it mean that G‑d is in the field? And what am I supposed to do about it, if anything?

I've been told that in the month of Elul, we are supposed to do a cheshbon hanefesh – "an accounting of the soul." Though I have a bachelor's degree in mathematics, I still can't figure this one out.

Reflecting on the past sometimes arouses feelings of guilt. Now guilt is a complex emotion. While it ignites a desire for change, it can also be a destructive force. Is there good and bad guilt?