Intro to Elul

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Elul is almost here!

The moon is waning once again, this time telling us that we are approaching the Jewish month of Elul, and this year, the American holiday of Labor Day. It’s tough to let the summer go, but the sun keeps rising and setting, and the days go by, sunset arriving earlier earlier, Shabbat evenings getting longer and Shabbat days shorter, the nights may be cool, and we know in our minds, even if not our hearts, that summer cannot go on forever.

We may think about the heat waves that have marked the summer. What do they mean for us? What kind of message are they sending about our global future?

Elul is a time for reflection, a time for teshuvah, return to G!d and to our best selves, in preparation for the Days of Awe, the holiest time in our calendar. What does teshuvah mean for us in this era of climate disruption? How do we become the best we need to be for humanity and our planet, within the confines of our physical being and the social structures of our modern world?

There are no easy answers to these questions, but the Earth Etudes for Elul, reflections on teshuvah and Earth written by rabbis, environmentalists, regular people, gardeners, poets can provide food for thought during this sacred time of year, this time of the turning of the seasons and the turning of our calendars.

This year’s Earth Etudes for Elul are a collaboration between Jewcology, Limitless Judaism, Ma’yan Tikvah, and Jewish Climate Action Network – MA, and will be posted every evening on Jewcology.org [All Etudes 5784] starting with Elul 1 on Tuesday evening, September 3. Graphics and Links to the Etudes will be posted on [Facebook] the following morning.Selected etudes will also be posted at jewishclimate.org, mayantikvah.org, limitlessjudaism.com, and in the newsletters of the BTS center.

May your journey through this season be rich, meaningful, and deep, and may you discover within yourself new and powerful resources for confronting the challenges of life.

Chodesh tov – may you have a good month,

Rabbi Katy Z. Allen

Rabbi Robin Damsky

Susan Levine

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