ELUL

ELUL:

PREPARING TO MEET THE KING

by Rabbi Barney Kasdan

Ah, summer! It is certainly a favored time of year for many people. The warm weather, outdoor activities, baseball and barbecues (among other things) all add to the enjoyment and break from the routine of the rest of the year. In the Jewish calendar cycle we might be tempted to think that it is also a respite from busy activities and holy days that pack into the rest of the year. But think again.

Month number: 12

Number of Days: 29

Season: Summer

Gregorian equivalent: August-September

Maybe in the back of our minds we anticipate the coming High Holy Days in September and October. Yet the spiritual preparation for these important festivals actually begins by mid-August. Since Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are so vital to our spiritual journey, Jewish tradition also mandates that the month before should become a time of spiritual and emotional preparation. It starts with the sixth month on the Hebrew calendar called Elul (this year starting on the evening of August 20). The 29 days of this month is added to the 10 days of the next month (Tishrei) to give us a 40-day period of spiritual contemplation.

Those who attend a weekday synagogue service will notice some distinct additions to help us focus on our personal preparation for the Holy Days. The shofar (ram's horn) is sounded every day during Elul as a wake-up call to consider the state of our soul and our relationship to our Heavenly Father. Likewise it is traditional to recite Psalm 27 following services ("The Lord is my light and my salvation.").
The last week of Elul is emphasized with the reading before the morning services of the Selichot prayers for forgiveness and mercy. The common themes throughout this 40-day period are repentance and preparation to meet our King. While there is a serious and even an awesome side to this preparation reminders of God's love are also evident. We are told that the four Hebrew letters of the word Elul comprise an acronym for the beautiful verse in Song of Songs: “ani l’dodi v'dodi li" (I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine), a clear reassurance of God's love for His people. Those of us in Messianic Judaism continue in various levels of observance of our heritage and certainly appreciate the spiritual lessons found in the month of Elul.


In fact, Messianic Jews and non-Jews have a great additional motivation to value this season even beyond what the rabbis emphasize. It seems that the month of Elul and the 40-day period was observed by our Messiah Yeshua. "Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He became hungry" [Matthew 4:1-2].


Is there evidence that suggests that this could be the intense time of Elul? I believe the chronological information in the gospels lead us to this conclusion. If, as many conclude, Yeshua was born in the fall during Sukkot or the High Holy Days, then the start of his public ministry would also commence during the High Holy Days as indicated by the statement of Luke 3:23 (that Yeshua was about thirty years old at that time).


This would be the perfect time of preparation and testing for Yeshua, as he was about to embark on his earthly ministry to Israel. In his case, not only did it include the closing fast of Yom Kippur, but an intense fast for the entire 40-day period. It seems the content of Yeshua's early message is also thematically consistent with Elul and the High Holy Days: "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" [Matthew 4:17]. Indeed, if the Kingdom is near, all Israel should prepare to meet King Messiah!


As we transition from summer to the Holy Days, may we, the modern day followers of Yeshua, take a fresh look into our hearts and spirits. May these 40 days leading up to Yom Kippur be a time of sober introspection as we evaluate our relationship with God and our fellow man. May this season of Elul prepare us to welcome King Messiah into our midst in a fresh, dynamic way!

ELUL dates of interest*:

1 Elul - Moses ascends Sinai for 3rd 40 days (1313 BCE)
10 Elul - Noah Dispatches Raven (2105 BCE)
17 Elul - Noah Dispatches Dove (2105 BCE)
23 Elul - Dove brings Olive Leaf to Noah (2105 BCE)
25 Elul - The 1st day of Creation (3761 BCE)
25 Elul - Jerusalem Walls Rebuilt (335 BCE)


*Taken from wikipedia