Elul … Digging a Little Deeper

From the Desk of Cheryl Hauer

When the Lord first began to reveal to me the wonders of the Hebraic foundations of my faith and my deep connection to Israel, my mentor used an interesting metaphor to help me understand the journey I was undertaking. “It’s like the layers of an onion,” she said. “As you peel away one layer, there is always another waiting to be discovered.”  Last night, peeling an onion while making dinner, I realized there is more to that example than just repeated levels of discovery. The outer tiers of the beautiful purple vegetable I held in my hand were fairly easy to remove and thinner, starting with the first, which was almost like paper. But the further I went into the onion, the thicker and more substantial the layers became. And the deeper I cut, the more tears I shed. There couldn’t be a more accurate or beautiful representation of my 30-plus-year journey with the Lord and Israel.

Elul is like that as well. In the past, I’ve written about this month’s focus on introspection, making sure our “accounts are in order” as the High Holidays approach. And that is true. But if we peel back a few layers, we find deeper and more profound meaning. So deep, the sages say, that Elul encompasses the entire spectrum of human existence.

According to Simon Jacobson, author of Toward a Meaningful Life, the name Elul is an acronym with each letter standing for a separate word in five different Bible verses. Each one, Jacobson says, identifies a different aspect of Elul’s spiritual significance.

The first is from Song of Songs 6:3, a verse countless Jews and Christians carry engraved on their jewelry: “I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me.” Elul is about that kind of love. It is the time we find our way back to God after a year of distractions has led us further and further from the constant awareness of his presence we so long to experience. We cry out to him and he responds with love and forgiveness. It is the essence of prayer, defining our relationship as reciprocal, a loving partnership.

The second verse is Esther 9:22 which directs each of those who have experienced the grace of the king to show benevolence to their fellow men and give gifts to the poor. It points out Elul’s focus on acts of kindness and charity. Elul is the bridge between the pain of the month of Av and the forgiveness of Tishrei leading finally to the joy and expectation of a new year.

In the third verse, Exodus 21:13, we read of the establishment of the cities of refuge. And that is also what Elul is about, a refuge-in-time that returns every year regardless of our circumstances or conditions. It alludes to Elul’s connection to Torah, since the sages teach that “the words of Torah are a refuge.” Elul provides a haven, a sanctuary where we find forgiveness and rehabilitation.

The fourth verse appears in the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy. Verse 6 refers to the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel after exile. This verse is clearly about teshuvah, a time of regret, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Finally, verse 5 is Exodus 15:1, where we find the song the Israelites sang at the parting of the Red Sea—a verse that the sages say alludes to the final redemption at the end of days: “this song to God I will sing…”

So, Elul brings us back to the core elements of our relationship with the Lord: Torah, prayer, acts of kindness, repentance, and redemption. It reminds us of the give-and-take nature of that relationship—we cry out, and God always hears; we repent, and God always forgives; we are in need, and God takes joy in meeting every one of those needs. We are indeed loving partners.

As Christians, we can see in these verses the very words of Yeshua, as our Jewish rabbi teaches us the path across that bridge between the destruction of Av, or perhaps the sin that besets us, and the forgiveness of Tishrei, or perhaps God’s mercies that are new every morning. And clearly, we see the promise of redemption, everlasting life with our Lord and Savior. So just maybe Elul’s most profound message is simply one of hope. Those foundations cannot be shaken and our Rock and Redeemer is always, always there to make sure we don’t forget.

Check out ‘Repent the Day Before You Die:  A 40 day Devotional Journey’ that will guide you through the life-changing experience that is Elul. Check it out now!

Blessings and Shalom,

Issachar Community