Preparing for Jewish New Year / Rosh HaShanah

Preparing for Jewish New Year 

Elul is the last month of the Jewish year, and signals the nearness of the High Holy Days. There is a lot of preparation one needs to do, to be written (and sealed) in the Book of Life. 

Elul is 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.

I've included some gift ideas. Please click on the images for more information. 



The common themes are Teshuvah (“return” to G d), Tefillah (prayer), Tzedakah (charity), and increased ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew).

Some of the basic customs and practices for the month of Elul:

• Each day of the month of Elul (except for Shabbat and the last day of Elul), we sound the shofar (ram’s horn) as a call to repentance.
• When writing a letter or meeting one another, we bless one another by including the greeting Ketivah vachatimah tovah—which roughly translates as “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”
• Chapter 27 of the Book of Psalms is added to the daily prayers, in the morning and afternoon.
• During the last week of Elul, in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the Selichot prayers are recited. On the first night they are recited at midnight; on the following days, in the early morning.

See my past Blog Reflection, Renewal, and Repentance