The Month of Elul
The month of preparation, introspection, and return — leading into the Days of Awe.
In the generation of the Exodus, Moses ascended Mount Sinai three times. The third ascent began on the first of Elul — to invoke G‑d's mercy for Israel's complete atonement. He remained for forty days, until Yom Kippur, when G‑d cleansed the Jewish people completely, as though they had never sinned.
Since then, these forty days are a special period of Divine Grace — a time when sincere prayer and sincere effort at self-improvement are particularly welcomed by G‑d. The shofar is blown each morning throughout Elul as a call to awakening and return.
Rosh Hashana
The Jewish New Year — a day of coronation, judgment, and renewal. The shofar announces G‑d's kingship over all creation.
Rosh Hashana is the day on which G‑d completed creation by creating Adam — whose first act was to proclaim the Almighty as King of the Universe. Each year on this day, G‑d renews His creative energy and reconsiders the quality of our relationship with Him.
On Rosh Hashana we stand in judgment — "like a flock of sheep before the shepherd." Through repentance, prayer, and charity, we merit G‑d's blessings for health, wellbeing, and a sweet new year. Learn more →
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Yom Kippur
The holiest day of the year — the Day of Atonement. G‑d's most profound gift to the Jewish people.
Though the Days of Awe are solemn, they are not sad. Yom Kippur is, in a subtle way, one of the happiest days of the year — for on Yom Kippur we receive G‑d's most sublime gift: His forgiveness. When G‑d forgives, it is an expression of His eternal, unconditional love for every Jewish soul.
Our essence — our soul — remains G‑dly and pure. Yom Kippur is the one day each year when this truth is most clearly revealed. On the level of the soul, all Jews are truly equal and indivisible.
Sukkot
The Season of Our Rejoicing — dwelling in the Sukkah, taking the Four Kinds, and celebrating G‑d's protection.
Immediately following the awesome days of Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur, we prepare for the joyous exuberance of Sukkot. After leaving Egypt, the Jewish people were surrounded by G‑d's protective "clouds of glory" for forty years in the wilderness.
In commemoration, we are commanded to dwell in Sukkahs for seven days. The Sukkah is the only Mitzvah in which we are completely surrounded — from head to toe — by the Mitzvah itself, enveloped in the Divine Presence.
Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah
The culmination of a month of uplifting experiences — we rejoice with the Torah and complete the annual cycle.
Simchat Torah is the culmination of a month filled with uplifting experiences. We have stood in awe before the King of the Universe; we have been forgiven and cleansed by His mercy; we have experienced the joy of uniting with G‑dliness through His commandments. Now — we rejoice with His Torah.
We take the sacred scrolls in our arms and dance together — scholar and novice alike. On the evening of Simchat Torah (and, per Chabad custom, on the previous evening of Shemini Atzeret), we make seven Hakafos around the bimah, singing and dancing with the Torah scrolls.
On the morning of Simchat Torah, the final portion of the Torah is read — completing the annual cycle. Then we immediately begin reading from the very beginning. Thus we continue to nourish ourselves from the infinite wisdom of G‑d's Torah, the eternal force that has bound us together for over 3,300 years.