Rabbi Lana writes:

Shavua Tov! It has been a wonderful week since I started my journey here at Congregation Or Ami, and I am enjoying every minute of it. It was wonderful to meet some of you at the beach, and I am looking forward to meeting you during upcoming Shabbat and High Holy Days services and at various events in the near future.

We have just entered the last month of the Hebrew Calendar, the month of Elul, which is also the last month of the Jewish year before Rosh Hashana.

During the month of Elul, we are asked to look back at the year that passed and also to look into ourselves. Elul is an invitation for a meaningful and profound check-in. Elul is an opportunity to think about who we are and who we want to be in the world.

During this sacred time of Elul, we are also invited to reflect on our relationship with the Holy One. Do we have one? Is it something we would like to create? Is it something we want to deepen?

E L U L is an abbreviation for Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li = I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. Love between the people of Israel and the Holy One is present all year round, but during the month of Elul we are invited to be mindful about it even more.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, teaches that “During Elul, the king is in the field” and everyone who desires is permitted to meet him. “The king” is the Holy One, who is ready to welcome all of us with open arms and a cheerful smile.

During this first week of Elul, I invite us to allow the Holy One’s smile to wash over us as we smile. Smiling reveals inner joy, and we should share that joy with all we encounter.

In many Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish communities, it is customary to recite Psalm 27 from Rosh Chodesh Elul (the first day of Elul) through  Shemini Atzeret (the last day of Sukkot).

In Psalm 27:4 we read, “One thing I ask of the Holy One, that I may dwell in the house of Adonai all the days of my life; To look upon Adonai’s graciousness and to visit in God’s sanctuary”.

What a joyous thing  to realize that at every moment of every day, wherever we are, we dwell in the house of Adonai! When we understand that God is love, we can be our authentic selves. We can repent with comfort and confidence. We can gently “clean up” our words, our actions, our relationships, our homes and our hearts.

As we move into the New Jewish Year 5784, let’s try to feel the Holy One’s presence at all times – in our sacred Or Ami community, in our families, and within ourselves. Wherever we are in the world, we are in God’s sanctuary. So allow the Holy One to smile upon you, and you might find yourself smiling too!