LeDovid, G-d Is My Light and My Salvation

Parsha Halacha | June 19, 2025

The Torah portion of Shoftim is always read in the beginning of the month of Elul, the month in which we prepare for the High Holidays by examining our deeds and doing Teshuvah.

Saying LeDovid Hashem

It is customary during this month to recite the 27th psalm which starts with the words LeDovid Hashem Ori (To Dovid, G-d is my light), in the morning and evening after the prayers.1

The Power of this Recital

This psalm should be said slowly and with full concentration rather than by rote.2 According to the Chida,3 saying chapter 27 at this time of year is a segulah (spiritually potent act) for (a long) life. One who does so twice daily during Elul until (Shmini Atzeret or) Simchat Torah is assured that he will live out a full, good life and that all the accusing angels will be silenced. Even if a decree was sealed against him in Heaven, it can be annulled by reciting the psalm at this time. The name of G-d is mentioned 13 times in this psalm corresponding to the 13 attributes of Divine mercy that are revealed and accessible during this month.4

The rest of this article will discuss some of the interpretations of the verses of this psalm as they relate to this time of year.

“G-d Is My Light” on Rosh HaShanah

The reason this Psalm is said at this time is that, according to the Midrash,5 the first verse of the psalm alludes to Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

The first verse is דִוָדְ ל ה יִ אוֹר יִﬠְשִׁיְ ו יִמִּ מ אָריִ א ה עוֹזָ מ יַיַּ ח יִמִּ מ ד׃ָחְפֶ א – “To Dovid, G-d is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? G-d is the stronghold of my life, whom should I dread?”

The Midrash says6 that “G-d is my light” refers to Rosh HaShanah while “and my salvation” refers to Yom Kippur.

Rosh HaShana is called “my light” because

G-d shines a positive light on our judgment on that day by applying His attribute of Mercy.7
We blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashana about which it says,8 “Happy is the people who know how to sound the Shofar, G-d, they walk in the light of Your presence.” The blowing of the Shofar helps remove the darkness of impurity from our hearts and replaces it with the light of G-d’s countenance.9
The light of our souls begins to shine in us on Rosh Hashana, inspiring us to do Teshuvah. This light increases in intensity until Yom Kippur when we reach complete purity and are “saved” by being judged favorably.10
We rejoice on Rosh Hashanah–light is a metaphor for rejoicing-- knowing that G-d will miraculously judge us positively.11
On Rosh Hashanah G-d brings forth a special light (i.e., revelation) to inspire every Jew to do Teshuvah (repentance) and brighten his path so that he follows the way that is truly good for him.12

Yom Kippur is the day of “my salvation” because that’s the final judgment day on which G-d saves us from bad decrees and seals us for a good year.13

Why Begin in Elul?

We begin saying this chapter in Elul as during this month we prepare for the above-mentioned Days of Awe. This month became known to the Jewish people as special when Moshe ascended Mount Sinai for the third time in order to receive the second set of tablets (luchot) on the first day of Elul. The Midrash says14 that they blew the shofar at that time so that the Jewish people would know when to expect Moshe’s return. They continued to blow a shofar every day until Moshe returned so that no one would mistakenly think he wasn’t coming back (G-d forbid) as happened when he went up the mountain the first time.15 The great care that they gave to this matter was a sanctification to G-d’s name. Concerning this the verse says,16 "הָלָﬠ םיִקֱ א הָרﬠוְּתִבּ" – the L-rd was elevated (i.e., sanctified) by the Shofar blast.”

According to the Gaon of Vilna,17 the Shechinah, which had departed from the mountain at the time of the sin of the golden calf, returned to the mountain when the shofar was sounded on Rosh Chodesh Elul. As such, “The L-rd was elevated (to be present on Mount Sinai) by the Shofar blast (of Rosh Chodesh Elul).”

Just as the Shofar of Rosh HaShanah brings about a change from Divine strict judgment to Divine mercy, the Shofar of Elul, when accompanied by Teshuvah, accomplishes the same.18 As such, this month is a very opportune time to prepare for the “light and salvation” of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

אֵלׅ לוּ /Lule = לוּלֶ א /Elul

In addition, in the second to last verse of this chapter it says, אֵלׅ לוּ יִתְּנַמֱאֶ ה אוֹתְרִ ל טוּבבּ ה ץֶרֶאְבּ םיִיַּ ח - “If not for the faith that I had that I would see the goodness of G-d in the land of the living. When the letters of אֵלׅ לוּ are turned the other way, they spell לוּלֶ א (Elul). As such the verse can be interpreted to be saying, during Elul we should be yearning to experience the pleasantness of G-d while we are alive in this world.19

The fact that Elul is spelled backwards in the verse teaches us that this month is a time that we must “look back” at our past and see what we can rectify.20

The Mishnah says21 that the Sanhedrin used to send out messengers after the Rosh Chodesh of six of the months of the year in order to inform people as to when Rosh Chodesh was established. One of these months was Elul and the reason the messengers were dispatched (despite the fact that there are no holidays in the month of Elul) is for people to have time to prepare for Rosh HaShana in an appropriate manner. This teaches us that the month of Elul is supposed to be used to prepare for Rosh HaShanah.22

When the Wicked Ones Come Near Me

The verse says בֹרְקִבּ יַלָﬠ םיִﬠֵרְ מ – “When the evildoers approach me (they will stumble).” The Midrash says that this refers to the prosecuting angels who argue to G-d on the judgment day (of Yom Kippur) that the Jews commit many severe sins and that they don’t deserve to be treated better than the other nations. The verse continues םִ א הֶנֲחַתּ הֶנֲחַי מַלָﬠ אֹ ל אָריִ י יִבִּ ל םִ א קוּםָתּ יַלָﬠ הָמָחְלִ מ אתֹזְבּ יִנֲ א ׃ַחֵ בוֹט – “When the camp (of Satan’s angels) rise up against me to make war, I will not fear because I trust אתֹזְבּ – in this.” G-d says to the angels, you can only torment the Jews on 364 days of the year. Whereas on Yom Kippur, the 365th, you have no power. This is because of the power of אתֹזְבּ (with this) – the sacrifices offered by the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur which are also called אתֹזְבּ (“With this Aharon will enter the holy place).”23

The Imrei Emet explains24 that, even now, after the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, we still can receive merit from the Yom Kippur service in the Beit HaMikdash. This is because the devotion exhibited by the Kohen Gadol when sacrificing comes naturally to all Jews on every Yom Kippur. This is similar to the miracles which G-d wrought for the Jewish people in the past which can reoccur at later times without less effort since that miraculous power was already brought into this world. When this devotion surfaces, it becomes clear to even the prosecuting angels that the sins which we transgressed were superficial whereas our real essence is pure and devoted to G-d. As such, all of the accusations are silenced.

May we all merit to be written and sealed in the Book of Life!