Days of Mercy and Forgiveness: The Month of Elul in Jewish Law and Custom

1. The beginning of the month of Elul and onward are days of mercy, forgiveness, and divine favor. Every person should awaken their heart in repentance to atone for their sins since the day they came into this world, so they may merit favorable judgment when the King sits on His throne of judgment on the day of the world's creation. These days are especially chosen and prepared for repentance more than any other time during the year, as they are days of mercy and divine favor.

Reciting Psalm 27 ("The Lord is my light and my salvation"): Some have the custom to recite, after completing the morning prayers each day from the beginning of Elul onward, the psalm "The Lord is my light" (Psalms 27), which is a wonderful remedy for meriting favorable judgment. This practice is not mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch or its commentaries, and appears for the first time in the book Shem Tov Katan (1706), which states: "Whoever recites this psalm from the beginning of Elul until after Simchat Torah is assured that they will complete their years and days in goodness, and will thereby subdue all accusers. They will emerge from judgment innocent and vindicated" (Nitei Gavriel, Rosh Hashanah).

Blowing the Shofar in the Month of Elul

2. After the beginning of Elul and onward, according to Sephardic custom, when they begin reciting Selichot (penitential prayers) from the beginning of the month, they blow the shofar during the recitation of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy during Selichot (Kaf HaChaim, section 581). According to Ashkenazic custom, they blow the shofar every day after completing the morning prayers (Rema, section 581).

The reason for blowing the shofar is explained in the Tur (section 581): It is taught in Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer that on the first day of Elul, Hashem said to Moses, "Ascend to Me on the mountain." That was when he went up to receive the second tablets, and they sounded the shofar throughout the camp. Moses ascended the mountain so that they would not again stray after idolatry, and Hashem was elevated through that shofar, as it is said (Psalms 47), "Hashem ascends with the blast..." Therefore, our Sages established that the shofar should be blown on the first day of Elul and throughout the month each year, to warn Israel to repent, as it is said (Amos 3), "If a shofar is blown in a city, will the people not tremble?" And also to confuse Satan (brought in Darkei Moshe 1).

3. During the blowing of the shofar, one should be moved to repentance. So writes the Kav HaYashar (chapter 48): "Therefore, everyone should be awakened by the sound of the shofar that announces and arouses repentance, and rise and call out to Hashem with weeping and supplication according to the custom of pious individuals. When they blow the shofar from the beginning of Elul, they turn their faces to the wall and call out to Hashem with a voice of weeping and wailing. And they say, 'Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O Lord, King who sits on the throne of mercy, acting with kindness...' and 'The Lord passed before him...' until the end of the Thirteen Attributes, and afterward they should awaken the hearts of their fellows to repent, etc."

The Proper Way to Recite Selichot

We find in the words of our rabbis guidance on the proper way and manner for reciting Selichot:

1. The Chida in his book "Moreh B'Etzba" (section 8, paragraph 244) wrote about the proper way to recite Selichot – "The main thing is to recite them properly, with a humble voice of supplication, and to understand what one is saying. One's eyelids should flow with bitter tears over one's sins, and one should see themselves as prepared for judgment before the King of Kings, Hashem, who knows their thoughts and deceptions. Then their uncircumcised heart will be humbled. One should not shout like someone standing in the street, and a fool will not understand what he is saying, for with a voice of joy he shouts a cry, and if they were wise they would understand, etc... They force themselves to wake up and lose sleep to come to the synagogue, and even here they have done nothing but shout – are these not called Selichot (forgiveness prayers) and not shouts, etc.

2. In contrast, Rabbi Chaim Palachi, in his book Moed L'Kol Chai (section 11, paragraph 22), wrote in favor of those who shout. He explained that they are following the teaching of our Sages that one of the things that can tear up a person's negative decree is crying out. But it should be done with fear and love, as written in Tikunim, Tikun 70, etc., and you can see in the holy Zohar, Parshat Shemot, page 20, which greatly praises the virtue of crying out, as it overpowers the attribute of judgment. Through it, one inherits this world and the World to Come, and it is called a complete prayer, etc... and it is closer to Hashem than anything else. But it must be done with sacred measure, not in a way of frivolity, God forbid. And this is obvious.

Let us conclude with the words of the Pele Yoetz who wrote that even someone who is unlearned and does not understand what they are saying should at least recite the Selichot letter by letter, word by word, with a voice of weeping and supplication, knowing that they are asking before the King, Hashem of Hosts, for the sins they have committed, and they should be clothed in trembling. May you have a good and blessed month.

Rabbi Shai Amar is a rabbi in the Hidabroot Halacha Department

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