September 3 | 21 Elul Judaism offers specific guidance on how to live our lives. As inheritors of a four-thousand-year-old tradition, we know this. We also know that Judaism never stops with the expected, the usual, or the routine. It also deeply probes the limits of words, ideas, and behaviors. The following longer-than-usual Pearl of Elul is an opinion piece written by Jeff Jacoby that appeared in the Boston Globe on September 30, 2025 not long after Charlie Kirk was mur

September 2 | 20 Elul “Like a Fading Flower, a Passing Shadow, a Fugitive Cloud and a Vanishing Dream” [In] the PBS retrospective on the life and work of Leonard Bernstein I found it fascinating, particularly when he confronts members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra as they rehearse a symphony by Gustav Mahler. Mahler had converted to Christianity so he could be appointed conductor of the Vienna Opera. But in the eyes of musical Vienna, he remained an outsider: his mus

September 1 | 19 Elul The Baal Shem Tov taught that in the heavenly court there is no one who can judge you for what you have done in your life on earth. So this is what they do: They show you someone's life-all the achievements and all the failures, all the right decisions and all the wrongdoings- and then they ask you, "So what should we do with this somebody?" And you give your verdict. Which they accept. And then they tell you that this somebody was you. Of course, those

August 31 | 18 Elul The Best Way to Change: A Psychologist's Suggestions Americans often make New Year's resolutions that are too vague or too ambi tious and are quickly forgotten, says a psychologist who offers a few tips on setting more realistic goals for [the new year]. "I think people don't understand how difficult it is to change behavior,"' said Steven Danish, a Pennsylvania State University psychologist. "You need to be setting a goal that you can think about and

August 30 | 17 Elul The following article is much longer than what we include in our daily Pearls of Elul. And yet, it is a worthwhile read at this time of the year. It appeared in The Free Press in late September of 2025 and was part of their “Ancient Wisdom” series. The article was written by long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad and, as the title suggests, is about learning to forgive ourselves. Please note that this article does make references to sexual abuse. While we could

August 29 | 16 Elul A prayer, translated in to English, from Reb Nachman of Bratslav: May it be Your wish, Adonai, our God and God of our ancestors, to do away all around the world with war and bloodshed, so that a great and wondrous peace will last in the world. So that one nation will not take up sword against another nation. And so that they learn war, no more. Instead, may all the inhabitants of the earth just recognize and truly know the truth that we did not come into

August 28 | 15 Elul Rabbi Andy discusses the "ins" and "outs" of reflections. View the video and its transcript below. Transcript: We live in a world where "out" matters so much, and as we enter the third week of Elul this year, I want to talk about the "in." That's what we focus on this time of year, is the "in," who we are and what we're becoming. Over the course of the past months, I've had an incredible teacher at our gym. She does a breathing and balance class and brings

August 27 | 14 Elul As we come to the end of this week’s journey through these songs, we arrive at Hayom T’am’tzeinu by Noah Aronson. This is a prayer for strength, blessing, and the courage to move forward. The words, drawn from the High Holy Day liturgy, begin with a simple plea, “Strengthen us today.” And perhaps that is the heart of what this season asks of us. Elul has invited us to listen, remember, grieve, give thanks, seek forgiveness, and return. Now, as we stand on

August 26 | 13 Elul This song, written by Susan Werner and performed in this video by Jewish musician Dan Nichols, has become an important part of our evening ritual when Beth and I put our daughter, Marin, to sleep. This song touches my heart and reminds me that this moment, no matter how imperfect, is precious. It reminds me, too, that there is so much to be grateful for right now, even as I know there is so much left to do in the future. The song grounds me deeply in the m

August 25 | 12 Elul When I was a teenager, I would often attend an alternative Yom Kippur service that was called A Confession for Our Time at a local Reform temple where I grew up. The service was filled with music that stirred something deep within me. Rather than using our Jewish High Holy Day liturgy, the service utilized modern songs that get to the heart of the themes of the Days of Awe. One of the songs included in this service was The Living Years by Mike + The Mechan

August 24 | 11 Elul I have loved this version of V’al Kulam by Craig Taubman since hearing it over a decade ago. It gives musical expression to one of the most vulnerable prayers of the High Holy Day liturgy, “For all of these, forgive us, pardon us, grant us atonement.” Rather than allowing the words of confession to become overwhelming, I feel that Craig Taubman’s melody creates space to sit with and acknowledge our mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and imagine the possibilit

August 23 | 10 Elul Elul is a season of listening to the quiet places within us, to the memories we carry, and to the longings we may have been too busy to hear throughout the past yeat. Joey Weisenberg’s By the Waters of Babylon, performed with the Hadar Ensemble, draws on Psalm 137, the haunting words of a people in exile who have lost their home, their songs, and a sense of wholeness. In the song, the lyres are laid down and the people weep beside the river, yet the music

August 22 | 9 Elul There is something very sacred about returning each fall to the High Holy Days. Elul, this month before Rosh Hashanah, invites us to pause, to listen more closely, and to begin the journey back – to ourselves, to one another, and to the people we hope to become. Elana Arian and Noah Aronson’s song We Return captures this movement with both tenderness and hope. As we move through Elul toward Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are reminded that teshuvah is not

August 21 | 8 Elul As we make our way through the Hebrew month of Elul, we are invited to slow down, listen more deeply, and make space for reflection. This week’s Pearls of Elul will explore the power of music as a guide for the soul during this sacred season. From the melodies that stir memories to the songs that help us name what is difficult to say, music has a unique way of reaching places within us that words alone cannot. These songs have brought meaning to me over the

August 20 | 7 Elul One of the images our tradition offers us during the High Holidays is the Book of Life. Here’s a reflection from actress and comedienne Gilda Radner, of blessed memory, from her book It’s Always Something: I wanted a perfect ending, So I sat down to write the book with the ending in place before there even was an ending. Now I’ve learned the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Like my life,

August 19 | 6 Elul Every so often, I have a song that runs through my head. Whether for an hour or most/all of the day, even for longer. Alden Solovoy is an author and a modern creator of Jewish prayers and reflections. He calls such “earworms” Spiritual Walkabout Songs. You can read what he wrote here. Our tradition says that during the month of Elul, Psalm 27 should be our Spiritual Walkabout Song. It is recited during traditional prayers. You can listen to one of the segme

August 18 | 5 Elul Among the prayers said each morning is an affirmation of the beauty of our souls. It begins with the Hebrew words Elohai, Neshama she-natata bi tehorah hi Here is the full prayer in translation (you can listen to a musical version of this song written by Rabbi Shefa Gold here): My God, the soul You have given me is pure. You created it, You shaped it, You breathed it into me and You protect it within me. For as long as my soul is within me, I offer thanks t

August 17 | 4 Elul A spiritual first thing to do in the morning. Sunday is the day that follows Shabbat. In Hebrew, we refer to Sunday as Yom Rishon which literally means “the first day.” Yesterday was Sunday. Today is Monday. The calendar we follow for our work week and school week starts today. For many is our neighborhood, no matter what we say in Hebrew, Monday is the first day of the week. Open a traditional prayer book or a Reform prayerbook, and the first Hebrew words

August 16 | 3 Elul Yesterday’s teaching made reference to the Rabbinic volume known as Genesis Rabbah (14:9) where it is taught that there are five different Hebrew names that we have for the human soul. As a reminder, they are: nefesh, ruaḥ, neshama, yeḥida, and ḥaya. Here is an observation about another one of Hebrew names – neshama – a word that is nearly identical to the Hebrew word for “breath” or “breathing” as the following teaching notes: Rabbi Levi said in the name o

August 15 | 2 Elul The Rabbinic volume known as Genesis Rabbah (14:9) teaches that there are five different Hebrew names that we have for the human soul. They are: nefesh, ruaḥ, neshama, yeḥida, and ḥaya. We might wonder why the Jewish tradition has five ways of referring to this non-material part of who we are. One of those Hebrew names – nefesh – appears in a famous passage from the Torah (Exodus 31:16-17) that begins with the Hebrew word V’shamru: The people of Israel shal