When Rosh HaShanah occurs within close proximity to the Shabbat that precedes it, as it does this year, Selichot is observed a week early.

The waning of summer's warm days signals the arrival of the Hebrew month of Elul. It's a time to contemplate the approaching Days of Awe and how best to prepare for them.

The Un’taneh Tokef scares me. The tragic ends it describes – famine and thirst, flooding and drought – all are imminent possibilities in today’s world.

Earlier this week, we marked the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul when it is customary to take stock of our actions and behaviors in an effort to do better in the year to come.

Aside from a date, what can these two events possibly have in common? Strange as it may seem, there are a few points of comparison.

Rosh HaShanah, the new Jewish year arrives in two months... and they’re two months that will pass quickly. It is time to get ready.

As the summer passes its midway point, rabbis begin to think seriously about the coming Days of Awe. We know that Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur provide us the largest congregations we are likely to see during the year.

It is a humbling and daunting task to

If posting an apology online serves as a starting point for follow-up conversations, I say go for it. How could that ever be a bad thing?

Elul is our time to connect to Israel – for ourselves, for our people, and for our land.