#elul — Public Fediverse posts

Shabbat Shalom Friends 🕯️🕯️

This marks the 50th Shabbat in a row that I have shared your beautiful photos and messages in response to my weekly greeting. Fifty weeks. What began as a simple post has become one of my favorite traditions, and that is entirely because of you.

And this one arrives with something special. We have entered Elul, the final month of the Hebrew year, the quiet stretch of reflection before everything begins again. A month made for exactly what you already do here every week. Pausing. Looking inward. Reaching toward each other.

Reading your comments has become one of my favorite ways to welcome Shabbat. If I ever miss responding it is never intentional, sometimes comments get hidden, but I always feel the spirit behind them 💙

You give me the gift of sharing my passion for teaching Hebrew and for community.

Wishing you a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat, and a beautiful start to Elul.

Shabbat Shalom 💙

#ShabbatShalom #Elul #judaism #GoodShabbos #DayOfRest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NWFxjynXds

Here's my annual #Shofar video for the #Jewish month of #Elul, this year with a theme of #Antifacism.

#Mazeldon #HumanisticJudaism

Today we enter the month of Elul.
The last month of the Hebrew year. The one that walks us to the door of the new one.

Most people think of Elul as a month of accounting. Looking back. Adding up what you did and what you didn't.
But that is not the case here. And it's all in the name.

Tradition reads the four letters of Elul אלול as the opening of a line from Song of Songs. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי /a-'nee le-do-'dee ve-do-'dee lee/

The last month of the year is named after a love song.
That's not an accident.

That's the lesson of this month.

Because before you look back at your year, Elul tells you the order to do it in. Not from a list of everything you got wrong. From a place of love. Both for the people around you, and for yourself.

You can be honest about your year and still be gentle.

So this Elul, when you sit down to take stock, start where the month starts. With love.
💙

Inbal

#Elul #Accountability #LoveSong #JewishLife #HebrewByInbal

More info: https://hebrewcollege.edu/blog/elul-writing-prompts-from-a-circle-of-classmates-to-a-global-practice/

Jewish Studio Project 2026 Elul Prompts Registration: https://www.jewishstudioproject.org/elul-prompts-2026

#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #Elul

"It may be the middle of summer on the #Gregorian #calendar right now, but on the #Jewish calendar, we are approaching the end of the year. The month of #Elul begins this year at sundown on August 13. Although Elul contains no major Jewish holidays, it is quite an important period of reflection and preparation for the #HighHolidays, which begin with #RoshHashanah on the first of the following #Hebrew month, #Tishrei.

According to Jewish tradition, our fates are written on Rosh Hashanah and sealed for the upcoming year on #YomKippur. Because of that, Elul becomes an opportunity to strengthen our connection with #Hashem, or G-d; ask for forgiveness; repent; and return to Him. This process, known as #teshuvah, invites us to reflect on both our personal behavior and religious practice.

However, asking Hashem for forgiveness is not enough when we have wronged another person."

https://unpacked.media/i-am-for-my-beloved-and-my-beloved-is-for-me-why-is-the-month-of-elul-so-important-in-judaism/

From Ritual Well:
Prepare your heart for the Days of Awe with a new Ritualwell companion booklet of reflections, poetry, prayers, and creative prompts for the journey from Elul through Yom Kippur. Then join Rabbi Yael Levy on September 15 for a special exploration of Psalm 130. Together, we'll discover how this ancient prayer of longing and hope can deepen our High Holy Day experience.

Save your spot: https://ritualwell.org/event/out-of-the-depths-a-journey-through-the-days-of-awe/

#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #Elul #HighHolyDays

Download your copy (small donation requested): https://jewishmindful.org/return/

#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #Elul

Today is the last day to register: https://jewishmindful.org/hh2026-workshop/

#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #HighHolidays #Elul

Register Here: https://ritualwell.org/event/elul-journey-towards-yizkor/2025-08-06/

#Mazeldon #Judaism #Jewish #Elul

"A remarkable discovery has recently emerged from among a group of rare #books and #manuscripts consigned to my shop: an unrecorded eighteenth-century #Hebrew autograph manuscript penned by #Rabbi #YekutielGordon, one of the most fascinating and consequential members of the inner circle of Rabbi #MosheChaimLuzzatto, the #Ramchal.

Hidden from public view for centuries, this extraordinary #manuscript came to light only through careful examination of a collection entrusted to the shop for sale.

The manuscript itself is modest in size – approximately 4.5 by 6.5 inches – but immense in significance. Consisting of one hundred surviving double-sided folios, it preserves what appears to be a previously unknown work entitled #MarehKohen, together with a section of #MarehMussar, a work already known to scholars and associated with Rabbi Yekutiel Gordon.

Mareh Kohen focuses largely on the themes of #Elul, #teshuvah, the #YamimNoraim, and the profound symbolism of the #shofar."

https://jewishpress.com/a-manuscript-by-a-student-of-the-ramchals/

I'm sharing my annual Humanistic blowing of the shofar video for anyone who hasn't had the chance to hear #shofar during his month of Elul (the Jewish month of preparation for the High Holidays)

Im dedicating this to all who are about the work of Tikun Olam (world repair), but especially to my dear friends at The Spinoza Havurah and all of my friends from Judaism Unbound and the Unyeshiva.

#Elul #HighHolidays #Judaism #RoshHashanah #Mazeldon #HumanisticJudaism

https://youtu.be/uXVYUar9i0Q?si=Oz00W_jTCQp-sQha

Gaza's Annihilation Can Never Be Forgiven

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.lifeisasacredtext.com/gazarepentance/

Ask the RabbiS!

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.lifeisasacredtext.com/ask-the-rabbis/

The month of #Elul is a time for reflection and repentance for #Jews. But how do we do that amid #Israel's genocide in #Gaza?

Elul and Repenting for Gaza
Watch on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/mitchellplitnick/p/elul-and-repenting-for-gaza

Or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N_g8yVB8HWs

Today begins Elul 🌅—a month of reflection and renewal.
Who have you become this year, and who do you want to be?

Elul calls us to pause, take inventory, forgive, and realign.
Not perfection—intention.
Each day is a chance to grow braver, kinder, and closer to your best self. ✨

#elul #months #selfgrowth

From Ritual Well:
🌿 A Loving Walk Through Elul
Beloved teacher Rabbi Vivie Mayer gently guides us through the month with wisdom, heart, and compassion — a journey you can take at your own pace. Her teachings are an invitation to slow down and meet this season with tenderness.

Info & Registration: https://ritualwell.org/learn/at-your-own-pace/an-exploration-of-teshuvah-and-love/

#Mazeldon #Jewish #Judaism #Elul #HighHolyDays #TikkunOlam

elul journal prompt number seventeen, twentieth of elul:

What's something you believe in, but don't live out? What's something reflected by your actions that doesn't align with your heart?

mosaic of a basket of pomegranates, found in the Maon Synagogue, a 6th-century synagogue and archaeological site in the Negev Desert. photo credit to Avishai Teicher: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PikiWiki_Israel_7439_basket_with_pomegranates_in_maon_mosaic.jpg

#judaism #jewish #elul #aesthetic #journalprompt #archaeology #synagogue #pomegranate #mosaic #art

elul journal prompt number sixteen, nineteenth of elul:

Who in the Torah or Tanakh or Talmud do you most identify with? What can you learn from them?

Austrian Mahzor (Festival Prayer Book). made of pierced, repousse, traced, engraved, and cast silver; and ink printed on paper. dated 1765-1855 and printed by Anton Schmid. now belongs to the Jewish Museum: https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/7183-book-cover-with-prayer-book-mahzor-festival-prayer-book

#jewish #judaism #elul #aesthetic #journalprompt #mahzor #judaica #jewishart

Four Words of Teshuvah: Stop, Regret, Say, Commit

September 16, 2024

Rabbi Gregory Hersh

Read here: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/four-words-of-teshuvah-stop-regret-say-commit/

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Elul #HighHolidays

elul journal prompt number thirteen, fifteenth of elul:

What is one thing you are ashamed of? One thing you are proud of?

Apple Picnic Socks. pattern, socks, and photograph by Ariel Chang: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/apple-picnic-socks

#judaism #jewish #elul #aesthetic #apple #apples #knit

elul journal prompt number twelve, fourteenth of elul:

What questions do you most want to ask G-d? What do They ask of you?

David Praying in the Night. gouache on board by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1896-1902. better known as James Tissot, this Catholic painter was raised by a drapery merchant and a milliner. much of his work reflected his background, with a significant amount of his artwork either depicting women's fashion or biblical tales.

#jewish #judaism #elul #aesthetic #art #arthistory #gouache #jamestissot

elul journal prompt number ten, twelfth of elul:

What are you certain you won't change your mind about? Should you be so certain?

Rosh Hashanah, from the Holiday Series. painting by Arthur Szyk, 1948. raised a Polish Jew in Łódź and attached to both his Polish and Jewish identity, Arthur Szyk was heavily influenced by medieval illuminated manuscripts early in his development as an artist. later, he would become most well-known for his political cartoons and illustrations.

#judaism #jewish #elul #art #jewishart #aesthetic #painting #arthurszyk

Amid all the chaos of moving (& did I mention simultaneously preparing for the High Holy Days & teaching....????) somehow Bo finds a place of rest among the moving supplies. I'm practicing being like him. #dogsofmastodon #Moving #HighHolidays #Elul

elul journal prompt number six, seventh of elul:

What about teshuvah feels comforting to you? What about it feels uncomfortable?

photo credit to USSR Post: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Soviet_Union_1971_CPA_3995_stamp_(Honey_Bee_on_Apple_Blossom_and_Honeycomb).png

#judaism #jewish #elul #art #aesthetic #journalprompt #stamp #stamps #vintage #history #vintagestamps

elul journal prompt number five, sixth of elul:

What does teshuvah mean for your community?

art credit to Leoangeloart: https://www.reddit.com/r/painting/comments/e337nf/pomegranate/

#judaism #jewish #elul #art #aesthetic #pomegranate #pomegranates #journalprompt #painting

elul journal prompt number four, fifth of elul:

What does teshuvah mean to you?

A Happy New Year. Jewish greeting card by Mordecai Menahem Cohen, 5693 / 1932. it seems there is little to no information about the artist available online, but two of his greeting cards are available to view in the Jewish Museum's online collection: https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/artist/mordecai-menahem-cohen

#judaism #jewish #jewishart #greetingcard #roshhashana #elul #journalprompt #art

I’m teaching spiritual prep for the high holy days starting tomorrow morning. Join us!

The Journey Home: Soul Work for the High Holy Days
in This Turbulent Year

Sundays from 10:00 – 11:15 am PT

#HighHolyDays #judaism #elul

https://ravjill.com/hh2024-course

elul journal prompt number three, third of elul:

What makes a good apology?

Shadow Apple. painting by Elena Katsyura: https://elkatsyura.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-02-09T15:41:00-08:00&max-results=10&reverse-paginate=true

#judaism #jewish #elul #journalprompt #art #painting #aesthetic #apple