08/14/2026
There are two calendars I live my life by. The Gregorian and the Hebraic. The Hebraic holds our rich history and invites us into doorways, gates and portals to advance by/through way of remembrance.
Rosh Chodesh Elul, or the new moon of the month of Elul, starts this evening of August 12. It is the beginning of a spiritual journey towards the High Holidays, and is a month of ‘teshuva’ (return), repentance, and renewal.
After the sin of the Golden Calf after the Exodus from Egypt, Moses again ascended Mount Sinai - on Rosh Chodesh Elul. Forty days later, on Yom Kippur, he descended with the second set of tablets of the Ten Commandments.
This gives the month of Elul one of its enduring energies, vibes or frequencies, “a time of forgiveness and hope”.
On every day of the month of Elul, excluding Shabbat, many Jewish communities blow the shofar during morning prayers. It is a cry of mourning and brokenness as well as a wake-up call. When words are not enough, the shofar speaks for us, urging reflection, courage, and hope.
Elul is a time to repent change our thinking by remembering who we are in Christ and who God is, Emanuel, God with(in) us as we prepare to enter into the new year according to the Hebrew calendar.
Hope to see you this Sunday afternoon as we feast, worship, celebrate and dive in deeper to what the Spirit of God is saying to us in this season.
DN