Posted on August 14, 2026 by Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
Dear friends,
Today is Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first day of the last month of the year 5786. Elul is a month of introspection and self-evaluation, or, as we term it in our tradition, cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of our souls. Jews at this time of year often actively seek forgiveness from those whom we have wronged, and look inward to examine our own lives and hearts to identify patterns we aren’t proud of so as to begin to correct them. You may be preparing your homes for the holidays, perhaps baking round challot with raisins or other sweet flavors for a sweet new year, or making plans for a big Rosh Hashanah dinner. During this month there is also a daily tradition of sounding the shofar, allowing its piercing tone to awaken our slumbering souls to the urgency of the moment. Our tradition also invites us to offer Psalm 27, our accompanying Psalm for the month of Elul, daily as we yearn for closeness to the Eternal and to feel God’s love in this transitional moment.
Here are some important notes for what lies ahead of us in this special month on our Hebrew calendar:
Throughout the month of Elul, at both Shabbat and S’lichot services, we will be using the golden Mishkan HaLev prayerbook. This siddur includes different readings and texts than we would otherwise experience throughout the rest of our year, and will help make our worship gatherings this Elul more meaningful. We are also going to be shifting our worship this High Holy Day season entirely to the machzor (HHD prayerbook) Mishkan HaNefesh, which we used last year on Second Day Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Afternoon. Tonight at services I’ll have some words for why that is such a meaningful moment of transition in our congregational life.
I want to highlight that on August 29, after Shabbat morning services, we will be holding a lunch and then learning with guest teacher Rabbi Leon Morris (more). Rabbi Morris is an adored and admired colleague who is the president of the prestigious Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, and he also was one of the editors of Mishkan HaNefesh. He will teach a 90 minute study session on what this machzor is all about, its creators’ intentions in building it in the particular way they did, and how to get the most out of praying from it. Rabbi Morris truly is one of the most influential and brilliant rabbis you may have never heard of, and I urge you not to miss this special opportunity to learn from him. (RSVP requested)
On Tuesday, September 1 Cantor Wallach will be teaching an adult class called Learn the Melodies of the Machzor (more). In that class learners will explore in particular the history and meaning of the Yizkor service. What are the ways that Jewish tradition teaches us to remember those we’ve lost? Expect to learn much and sing much. (RSVP requested)
We are once again joining with other local congregations for S’lichot on September 5, and we will once again hold the service outside on our patio! We’ll offer music that can help open our hearts to the beginning of our formal request for God’s forgiveness, and for the first time offer a vidui, a communal confession of our sins.
A reminder that three times this month I will also be hosting my Become a Master Blaster shofar blowing class (more). Over three sessions, each of which will be largely identical to one another, anyone of any age who wishes can come and learn the skills needed to blast our tradition’s most important wake-up call. We hope to have our largest ever stable of shofar blowers at the holidays this year!
May we all use this sacred month of introspection and preparation for another year intentionally and with heaps of self-love and communal love. Elul, after all, is understood in Jewish tradition as an acronym for “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li,” “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Noah Diamondstein