Erev Rosh Hashanah
Selichot – Today is the last day of the Jewish year, and a day of preparation for Rosh Hashanah (“Head of the Year”) which commences this evening.
A more lengthy version of the Selichot (“supplication”) prayers are recited in the early morning hours, before the morning prayers.
No Shofar Today – The Shofar is not sounded on the day before Rosh Hashanah, to separate between the shofar soundings of the month of Elul (which are a minhag, or “custom”) and the Rosh Hashanah soundings, which are a biblically ordained mitzvah, divine commandment).
Rosh Hashanah Begins Tonight -The festival of Rosh Hashanah, marking the start of a new Jewish year, begins this evening at sunset.
Annulment of Vows – Following the morning services, Hatarat Nedarim, the annulment of vows, is performed (the text for this procedure is found in most prayer books).
Visiting the Cemetery – It is customary visit the the graves of the righteous on this day and pray there, as the resting place of a righteous person is an oppertune place to beseech the Almighty.
Upon the conclusion of the evening prayers in the synagogue, we extend to one another greetings of Leshana Tovah Tekatev Vitechatem, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” In the evening meal, we eat apple dipped in honey, the head of a fish, pomogranates , tzimmes (sweet carrots) and other foods signifying a sweet and successful year.
See Laws & Customs for tomorrow Tishrei 1.
Elul observances
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionaly a time of introspection and stocktaking — 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.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see “Today in Jewish History” for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah (“return” to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when “the king is in the field” and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, “everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all.”
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram’s horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today’s Psalms.
Elul is also a the time to have one’s tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
More on Elul here.
Hey, who's the guy with the sword?
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