Elul 16 is the yahrzeit (day of passing) of the world-famous Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal.
Links: Two Candles for Sammy, The Other Side of the Prayerbook
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionally a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
The Rebbe describes the following as a core teaching of the Baal Shem Tov:
Not only are the pirouettes of a leaf as it falls off a tree,
the quivering of a blade of grass in the wind,
and all the details of the world around you
all brought into being, given life and directed every moment from Above—
but beyond that:
Every nuance is an essential component of a grand and G‑dly scheme, the gestalt of all those vital minutiae.
Every moment burns with the pulse of G‑d’s desire.
Meditate on this. And then think:
How much more so the details of my daily life.