Posted on August 29, 2025 by Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
Dear Temple Beth-El,
Tonight we welcome our first Shabbat of the month of Elul, and begin our season of Teshuvah in earnest together. There is a custom of sounding the shofar daily throughout the month of Elul, so if you are a Shofar blower, now is a great time to start practicing and re-strengthening your embouchure!
We will be transitioning, for this month, out of our usual Beth-El siddur and into the golden-covered Mishkan HaLev siddur, a specialized siddur created by the Reform Movement for services during this month and the observance of Selichot.
My Elul message contained much of what I want to say about this time of year, and my sermons this month will dive deeper into that well. For now, though, I wanted to share this beautiful reading from the beginning of the prayerbook that has long spoken loudly to me as I have engaged with this wonderful siddur year over year. For me, it is a perfect encapsulation of what the meaning of this month is, and how it ought to be used.
Elul: An Island in the Year
Before we slip too quickly into the Season of the Soul–
Let there be a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the heart.
Before the music of Creation’s majesty–
Let there be a silent praise of existence.
Before the feast of sanctified words–
Let there be a poetry of solitude.
Before we enter the palaces of prayer–
Let us find within ourselves a place of calm.
Before we revel in the wondrous and sublime–
Let there be an honest, inward gaze.
Before the rites and ceremonies of Awe–
Let there be quieter days,
An island of attentiveness.
I hope to see you at services tonight, where you’ll get a taste not just of this month’s introspective possibility, but also, by way of my sermon, a taste of how Philly sports fandom informs my rabbinate and Jewish practice!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
