Goodbye, Elul - Hello, Tishrei

Let's take a few moments to bid goodbye to Elul, the month of divine mercy and forgiveness. We started Elul with deep introspection. Then, we went on to ask each other for forgiveness and strengthen our personal relationships. As Elul comes to a close, it is time to renew our personal relationship with God, as we prepare to ask God to inscribe us in the Book of Life for another year.



Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li - This is from the Song of Songs 6:3. It means, "I am to my beloved as my beloved is to me". The Hebrew letters of Elul are actually an acronymn for this verse. Many people use this as a reference to husband and wife. Indeed, it is oftentimes inscribed on matching wedding bands. More deeply, these words describe perfectly the relationship between God and the Jewish people. During the month of Elul, God reaches out to us.

Tomorrow night, Erev Rosh Hashanah, God welcomes the new month of Tishrei, Adam's birthday. We often pray to God using the word, "Malkanu", which means king and we refer to God in our prayers as, "King of the Universe".

On Rosh Hashanah, we add "Avenu", Our Father, to "Malkenu", because we want to remind God that we are his children.

Each of us is created in the image of God; each of us has a spark of the Divine. Each of us is a child of God. So, we call God, "Our Father", in addition to, Our King, to ask him to treat us as his child and have mercy on us.
L'Shana Tova,
Marlene