The Month of Elul: The Spiritual Meaning of Teshuvah, Renewal, and the Call of the Shofar

Elul is the twelfth and final month of the Jewish year — the sixth counting from “This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first of the months of the year” (Shemot 12:2). Its zodiac sign is Virgo — the maiden, as hinted in the verse, “Return, O virgin of Israel, return to your cities” (Yirmiyahu 31:20). Indeed, Elul is known as the month of teshuvah — repentance, during which Jewish communities recite Selichot (penitential prayers) and increase in acts of introspection and compassion.

Elul: The Month of Return and Divine Love

God, in His mercy, granted His people the gift of teshuvah — the ability to return to Him completely. When a person truly turns back to the Creator with sincerity and love, God responds in kind, accepting the repentance and drawing close to the person in compassion.

This idea is beautifully expressed in Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs):
“Ani le-dodi ve-dodi li” — “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” The initials of these four words spell Elul, and each word ends with the letter yud, symbolizing the forty days that Moshe spent on Mount Sinai — days dedicated to forgiveness and spiritual renewal.

When a person begins the process of self-examination and spiritual return — “I am my beloved’s”, God responds in love — “and my beloved is mine”, illuminating the person’s soul, forgiving sins, and granting blessings.

Although repentance is always valuable, the days of Elul are considered especially auspicious, as a period of divine favor lasting forty days, culminating in Yom Kippur.

Forty Days of Spiritual Rebirth

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that these forty days carry the stamp of renewal: just as a human embryo is formed in forty days, so too these forty days are open for the spiritual rebirth of anyone who yearns to be “born again” morally and spiritually. If one truly desires it with heart and soul, Heaven grants the strength to begin anew.

Moshe ascended Mount Sinai for forty days, and on the 10th of Tishrei — Yom Kippur, he descended with the second Tablets, which God gave with love and favor. Since then, these forty days have been established for all generations as a sacred time for repentance, forgiveness, and renewal.

The Meaning of “Elul”

The Hebrew word Elul also means search or exploration in Aramaic, as in the verse “And they explored the land” — vayalelun yat ar’a. This teaches that Elul is a time for inner searching, for examining one’s actions and refining one’s heart.

While dedicating forty days to moral and spiritual renewal is not easy, the process is a transformative journey of returning to one’s truest self.

The Call of the Shofar

The sounding of the shofar on Rosh Chodesh Elul awakens the soul. It recalls the shofar blast at Mount Sinai, when Moses ascended the mountain to receive the second Tablets. The shofar was sounded to remind the people not to stray again into idolatry. Therefore, Jews have the custom of sounding the shofar daily throughout Elul — as a reminder of Moses’ ascent, Israel’s repentance for the Golden Calf, and God’s renewed acceptance of His people.

As the prophet Amos says: “Shall a shofar be sounded in a city, and the people not tremble?” (Amos 3:6) In some communities, the shamash (sexton) would announce after the afternoon prayer from Rosh Chodesh Elul onward: “Return, O wayward children.”

Among Yemenite Jews, it was customary to blow the shofar at night throughout Elul, stirring the hearts of the people to awaken, recite Selichot, and weep in repentance — seeking forgiveness and inscription in the Book of Life. As Maimonides wrote: “Awake, sleepers, from your sleep, and slumberers, arise from your slumber. Examine your deeds and return in repentance.”

Historical Events in the Month of Elul

Several significant events occurred during Elul:

• 17 Elul – The death of the spies who slandered the Land of Israel. As Rabbi Elazar ben Parta said: “See how severe the punishment of evil speech is. If those who spoke against trees and stones were punished so harshly, how much more one who speaks against another person!”

• 25 Elul – The day the world was created.

• 27 Elul – The completion of the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt by Nechemiah, as it is written: “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul” (Nechemiah 6:15).

A Season of Mercy and New Beginnings

Elul reminds us that divine mercy is always within reach. It calls each of us to awaken, to reflect, and to return. Through teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer), and tzedakah (charity), we sweeten judgment and open the gates of blessing.

May we all merit a meaningful Elul — a month of awakening, forgiveness, and renewal. May you be written and sealed in the Book of Life.