In His Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy.
I will sing, yes, sing praises to ADONAI.
--Psalm 27:6
The 6th month and last month of the calendar "year" as next month will be Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, and the beginning of the Fall Feasts and end of one Torah cycle and beginning of the next!
It is a Jewish tradition to blow the shofar every day of this month except the last day, in preparation for Rosh Hashanah. Another tradition is to read Psalm 27 morning and night. I love both these customs and when I found out about Elul just last year for the first time, I found doing them to be a wonderful way to deepen our experience of this special month. In the Psalm, there are so many verses that bring us close to the LORD at this time of year and any time of course, but as in it there are references to the trumpet (offering shouts of joy), to the Succa (which comes after Yom Kippur, to dwell in the Succa), and maybe just overwhelmingly the theme of seeking His face, it is a wonderful Psalm to read and prepare for this time of repentance and renewal.
It is also said that "The King is in the fields" so this is another special aspect of this month as we can really seek the LORD very close by, as He is said to be in the fields, and there is a sense of His presence being very near. So enjoy the month and a time to take stock of the past year and to seek Him for where we need to repent and also a time to clear and re-new, from things buried in our hearts, to things we put off, to seeking clarity and vision for the upcoming year, always with thanks in each day. And much more, but that is my brief introduction to Elul in this post!!
This is a little verse I wrote about Elul, and now that you read these paragraphs above, it might just make a little sense! Happy Elul!!
Blow the shofar!
It`s Elul!!
This just might be my favorite month,
you know,
It is said, The King is in the Fields!
So sound the trumpet and proclaim His glory
morning, noon and night
Prepare our hearts for the Head of the Year
The LORD is our light,
Him shall we fear!
Fear in the sense of revere Him with awe
Read Psalm 27 and confess our sins,
Coming to the end of the scrolls
prepare to usher a New Year
In!! As we approach the season of coronation,
and to welcome the Messiah, the eternal King!!
The Beloved is mine and I am His.
Catching up!
Happy Elul!!
For my first post about Elul please see HERE!! It is a post I wrote last year this time when I first became aware of this month on the Hebrew calendar!!
For a moving picture with sound (video) of me blowing my shofar, you can click HERE!! I still need practice in sounding the shofar, as you will hear!!
One thing have I asked of ADONAI,
that will I seek:
to dwell in the House of ADONAI
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of ADONAI,
and to meditate in His Temple.
--Psalm 27: 4
"It is a Jewish tradition to blow the shofar every day of this month except the last day, in preparation for Rosh Hashanah."
ReplyDeleteWhy not on the last day?
Beautiful post and beautiful photos. I too would like to know why the shofar is not blown on the last day. Shabbat Shalom.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandi and Joyful! Thank you and good question!!
ReplyDeleteAs it is just a `custom` to blow the shofar during Elul, having the day before Rosh Hashanah (last day of Elul) without it is acknowledging that, and making a distinction between what is the actual Holy Day. It is a biblical commandment to sound the trumpet on the first day of the Seventh month (i.e. Rosh Hashanah, or also known as the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah). In Leviticus 23:23 you can read the Biblical fall feasts. Celebrations for Elul are purely custom/tradition. So leaving the day in between seems to be about that distinction. There may be other reasons too, but from what I understand that is the main one!!
I love your post. very nice. I also share a link. I think you love the article. https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/the-month-of-elul-a-time-to-turn/
ReplyDeleteThank you Aritha! I read the article, yes loved it! Yes, to pray for this great Salvation in this beautiful time that God has prepared and designed for re-`turn`! Also I love the verse Ani le dodi le dodi li, I am the beloved and He is mine, and always have it in my heart and on my praise in this month especially!! God bless! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGraag gedaan!
DeleteWhat a lovely post! Psalm 27 has always been one of my favorites and was the life verse for a dear missionary friend. I love the idea of meeting Jesus in the fields! We will soon be celebrating a Missions Conference at our church, which reminds me of Jesus' saying that the fields are ripe for harvest, but the laborers are few.
ReplyDeleteYou are also a talented artist -- your drawings remind me of the cartoonist James Thurber!
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting on my blog, and God bless,
Laurie
Thank you Laurie. Blessed by your comment and encouragement! Thank you for sharing about your Conference. May it be a blessed Conference! God bless!
ReplyDeleteI love your post and also the photos. You are beautiful, probably because you meet up with King Jesus so much! Yes, He is in the fields Scripture says and very close. I love to draw away too at this time of year and listen to whatever direction He gives me for my life. He is always faithful to speak to my heart a special word that carries me through the year! My husband blows the shofar. Love and hugs to you, my friend.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, Thank you so much for your comment. I receive your beautiful and encouraging words. Yes, He is in the fields very close!! The connection with how Jesus often was pictured walking in the fields comes to life in this connection after reading yours and Laurie`s comment about the scriptures and Jesus`s words about the harvest and fields!! Praise God for you and your husband and your attunement to hearing His voice, and taking that special time, and that is awesome to hear about your husband that he blows the shofar!!Thank you for sharing. Love and hugs to you and a beautiful month of Elul to you and your family!!
ReplyDeleteFor the first time ever, I saw at the supermarkets that they put out for sale little shofars for kids. That's heart warming. These are of course cheap plastic things but they serve the purpose.
ReplyDeleteYour hofar looks like the real thing and you seem to enjoy it.
Hi Duta, I love that about the little shofars! Yes, I do enjoy it!! Now that you mention it, I feel like a child in a sense when I use it, as its a joy to make a sound with it to the LORD! Have a good day and a blessed month of Elul!! Make a joyful noise to the Lord!!♡
ReplyDelete