Related Blog Posts on Elul and High Holidays

a laptop on a table with apples and honey, kiddish cup, candle sticks and flowers
Jewish Life Around the World

Keeping Family Close, Regardless of Distance

Rabbi Stacey Blank
 September 21, 2022
As I boarded the plane to Israel in the summer of 2002 for my first year of rabbinical school at HUC in Jerusalem, my mother said, "Please, just don't meet an Israeli." As soon as the plane touched down at Ben Gurion airport, I knew that I was home. A few months later, I met that Israeli. From our first conversation, he understood that I was studying to be a rabbi, and I understood that he wanted to live only in Israel.
image of vegan round challah
Rosh HaShanah

A Vegan Rosh HaShanah for a Sweet New Year

Kayla Kaplan
 September 14, 2022
I am vegan because I am Jewish. Everything that led me to a vegan practice came from my childhood where I kept kosher, learned by asking thoughtful questions, and practiced daily rituals like hand washing and reciting brachot that brought intention to aspects of daily life.
shofar laying on a prayer book
High Holidays

A Liberatory Elul Journey

Yolanda Savage-Narva
 August 31, 2022
The month before the High Holidays, Elul, is a time of spiritual preparation and t'shuvah. This year, as we conclude a Shmita, or sabbatical year, after focusing on taking time to pause, rest and reflect, I feel a sense of urgency and the need to act.
high holy days as an expression of self care
High Holidays

Turning Rosh Hashanah Into an Opportunity

Rabbi Austin Zoot
 August 29, 2022
Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur worship services are among the most-attended services of the year. That can be a challenge when those worship experiences are not the easiest entry points to Judaism, especially compared to the joyousness of Simchat Torah, the food and rituals of Hanukkah, or the sensory stimulation of Passover.
Person wearing a purple prayer shawl and holding a prayer book
Yom Kippur

The URJ Reflection Project: Go Deeper on “The Spiritual”

Rabbi Esther L. Lederman
Rabbi Leora Kaye
 August 15, 2021
As part of the URJ Reflection Project, a new set of offerings and experiences for the High Holidays in a time of social distance, we’ve also developed three short essays that allow you to go deeper into the essence of Jewish wisdom that grounds these rituals.