Elul: The Month of Return

Elul, the last month of the Jewish year, is a time to review the past and look at where you've come in life. It's a preparation for the upcoming “Days of Awe”—Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—when we resolve to do better this year than last.

The theme of Elul is return to your essential self—a.k.a. teshuvah—helped along by prayer and charity. “The King is in the field,” they say, meaning that the G-dly spark within you is much more accessible, as long as you search for it.

Some key customs for the month of Elul:

• Each day (except Shabbat), a ram's horn (called a shofar) is blown after the morning services. It's a wake-up call to spiritually prepare for Rosh Hashanah.
• When writing a letter, we sign off, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”
• We add chapter 27 of Psalms to the morning and afternoon daily prayers.
• The Baal Shem Tov initiated a custom to recite three additional chapters of Psalms, sequentially, each day from the first of Elul until Yom Kippur—when the remaining Psalms are completed.
• This month is most appropriate for having one's tefillin and mezuzot inspected by a certified scribe to ensure that they are still kosher and in good condition.