Seek Him while He may be found. The King is in the field!

The month of Elul, the last month of the Hebrew secular calendar year, is an auspicious time for repentance, prayer and introspection. These are special days of Divine mercy, and the very essence of these days emphasizes the basic need for closeness with God, and His immediate and unequivocal response. This year, the month of Elul corresponds to the Gregorian calendar month of September. (For example, September 1 is the first day of the month of Elul.)


Elul has a history of being a time prepared for forgiveness:
Following the episode of the Golden Calf and God's subsequent forgiveness of the people, Moses ascended Mount Sinai again on the first day of the month of Elul and remained there for 40 days. He descended on the 10th day of the month of Tishrei, also known as the Day of Atonement and Yom Kippur. As Moses climbed down the mountain, in his hands were the second set of tablets and the promise of atonement and forgiveness. Every year, this 40-day period is repeated and brings with it the opportunity and challenge to prepare ourselves for the awesome experience of the fast approaching High Holy Days (Yom Teruah (September 30), Yom Kippur (October 9) and the Feast of Sukkot (October 14-21)) where every descendant of Adam--each and every human being and every nation--will be judged.

Elul (אלול) is also an acronym for the Hebrew אני לדודי ודודי לי (ani l'dodi v'dodi li) which translated means "I am beloved's and my beloved is mine" (Song of Songs 6:3). These words from the Song of Songs are the theme of this special month--we are to realize how beloved we are to God and how precious our relationship with Him is. Elul reminds us God constantly beckons us to return to Him. During this month, we seek to improve our relationship with God and with each other.

A person can repent at any time of year, but the days of Elul are days of special Divine mercy. It is a time which is especially conducive to repentance and making amends. "Seek the LORD when He is found, call Him when He is near" (Isaiah 55:6). Elul is a time when God is near.

The great Hebrew sages call Elul the time when "the King is in the field". The analogy is this: a great and powerful king pays a surprise visit to his subjects while they are working in their fields. For the average man, the king is inaccessible. He is away in his palace, distant and removed. The average citizen never dreams he will actually see the king, let alone speak with him. Then, suddenly, one day, while the man is bent over doing his menial labor in the field, he feels a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turns around and to his shock, it is the king who is standing over him! The king has come to visit, explaining he wanted to be close to his loyal subjects, to investigate their situation and give them the opportunity to ask for their needs. This is meaning of Elul; this is the time to call out to Him.

A unique Biblical insight also ties this concept directly to the place of the Holy Temple based on the verse: "And Isaac went out to pray in the field towards evening, and he raised his eyes and saw, and behold! Camels were coming. And Rebecca raised her eyes and saw Isaac..." (Genesis 24:63-64). According to tradition, the patriarch Isaac established the daily afternoon prayer service, and the "field" where Isaac went to pray was none other than Mount Moriah, the place chosen by God from the beginning of time for the Holy Temple.

Elul is a good time for repentance of every sort--on an individual level, a national level and a global level. The science (or rather the art) of repentance (teshuva) is not just about turning away from sin and from its negative actions, but repentance is turning back to God. One of the Hebrew words for sin is chet, which in Hebrew means "to go astray". Thus the idea of repentance is to return back to God and return to the path of righteousness.

If we want to repent, Scripture tells us we need to turn back to God, and then God will turn back to us. We cannot believe God will forgive us if we first do not come back to Him.

"Therefore, thus says the LORD, 'If you return, then I will restore you--before Me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them'" (Jeremiah 15:19).

"Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return to Me," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I may return to you," says the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 1:3).

"'From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statues and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,' says the LORD of hosts. 'But you say, "How shall we return?"'" (Malachi 3:7)

Two types of sin:
There are two categories of sin:
1. Sins against God
2. Sins against other people

These two classifications of sin are mentioned when a lawyer asks Jesus what is the greatest commandment. "One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "'You shall love the LORD Your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).





The process of repentance, as laid out by the scholar Maimonides, includes three stages: confession, regret and a vow to not repeat the misdeed. The true penitent, Maimonides says, is the one who finds himself with the opportunity to commit the same sin again and yet declines to do so. According to Jewish tradition, only sins against God can be atoned for through confession, regret and promising not to repeat the action. Sins against other people can only be atoned for once the wrong has been made right, i.e., the victim forgives the sinner.

Jesus utters very similar words when teaching His disciplines: "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering" (Matthew 5:21-24).

During the month of Elul, prayers are to be offered in the plural, emphasizing we are all interconnected. We are all one body and should one member hurt, we are all diminished. ("And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it" 1 Corinthians 12:26.) Our repentance means we honestly examine ourselves and repair any breach we have created in our relationships. ("Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" James 5:16.)



True repentance is a constant, daily spiritual growth. The repentance of Elul is manifest by the desire to deepen the recognition of our relationship with God and to grow closer to Him every day. Within the heartbeat of all creation, a feeling of thankfulness and humility is beating in unison and in constant awe of the greatness of the Creator. May we strive every day to please God in all that we say and do.