Shalom Mishpocha,

We have just entered the last month of the Hebrew calendar; called Elul. This acronym comes from Shir Hashirim SofS: 6:3: "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li: I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine".

Elul is a time of preparation. It is a time as that which is spoken of in Amos 4:12: “Prepare to meet your God, O Israel”. It is a time of reflection and meditation; mercy and forgiveness. We need to examine our deeds and actions of the previous year. What would we do if this were, actually, the year that Yeshua was to return? How would we make ourselves right before G-d? Remember, Rosh Hashanah is, also, called Yom HaDin; it is the Day of Judgment!

What are we looking for? Why Renewal? Why Prepare? Is it just for judgment? What’s in our hearts? Revival comes through the manifestation of His Glory; the manifestation of His Presence!

The month begins and continues with the blowing of the shofar every day. We read Psalm 27and meditate on building up such fearless and reverential trust in our G-d. It will equip us for the days ahead as we “contend with the faith”. It will bring us into that ani l’dodi relationship! Acts 20:32 says, "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

Elul is a time of Selichot. It is a time of forgiveness and understanding. Through repentance, God’s glory as a revelation of His nature and attributes is revealed to us. When we ask the Lord to show us His glory and manifest His presence, it means, Lord, reveal to me who You are. It is this revelation that changes us! When Moses understood the revelation, he “bowed toward the earth and worshipped”. (Ex. 34:8)

The manifest presence of God is the power to revolutionize a person’s life! (2 Cor. 3:18): “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord." There is a countenance change!

Today, we have Yeshua as the full revelation of God’s glory and His revelation to us through the Ruach HaKodesh; of the Father’s mercy, grace, goodness and readiness to forgive.

We conclude the month with our Mikveh; immersion. It is a physical cleansing that is symbolic of a born anew spiritual man. We are, then, ready to receive the awesome revelation and breakthrough that G-d has in store for us in the new season ahead.

L'Shana Tova!
Rabbi