The Month of Elul

A Rosh Hashanah greeting from Sara Esther Crispe, editor of TheJewishWoman.org.

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...

I am all too familiar with the fragility of birch trees. Our counselors taught us that if we peeled back the thin white paper-like bark of the birch, we would end its life. The power was in our hands...

My life is filled with blessings. Yet I can easily pass an entire day focusing entirely on what I am lacking. I can get caught up in small frustrations and spend hours agonizing over miniscule losses...

In Song of Songs, which explores the relationship between G-d and Israel through the metaphor of the love between a bride and her groom, we find expressions of both male-initiated and female-initiated love

The main work for this time is to formulate our goals, visions, and resolutions for the coming year. We are given hints by G-d regarding what we should pray for, both in a positive and negative sense, by awakening in us specific yearnings and fears...

When Rosh Hashanah approaches, our inner critic tends to get louder. "What did you actually do this year? Was it a productive year? Was it a complete waste?"