Blowing the shofar at Elul is like the little shofar before the BIG Shofar Blast that we are approaching at the Feast of Trumpets. Lining up our little selves with our BIG and great LORD and King! I love taking my little shofar and blowing it each day of this month of Elul in "preparation" . As you may have noticed from the number of Elul posts!!
How do we prepare for the Day of the Big Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashanah) and the Big Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) ? One daily way is, Repentance in the small things (big things too of course, but hoping that some of the big ones have been clear and of course Salvation is the only way to do that!)! Seeking God for where we need to clear out those parts of us that still need to be gotten right -- the bitterness in our hearts, unforgiveness, what else? --- ask Him to show us---there are always those places---!!
When we seek Him with a desire to see His face and to draw closer to Him, He answers! Sometimes it is through the Holy Spirit showing us a cloud that takes the shape of the shofar and gets longer and wider!! Sometimes it is with a blue sky that appears on a super cloudy day. ... you had brought a raincoat with you on your ride, as it was getting grayer and grayer and then as you meditate on His greatness, the next time you look up what do you know, the sky has cleared and is all blue. Can we "blow away" the clouds ?? No, we cannot do anything in and of ourselves. Can we ask Him to show us where we need to grow and stretch and enlarge our tents? Yes, we can seek His face and we can take a step each day to draw closer in wanting to know His heart. The story of Elul, from Shayndel's reflections today, is to step out in action and take the small steps to seek Him. As we read each day of this month in Psalm 27, Your Face Lord I seek!
In Your behalf my heart says:
"Seek My face!"
O Lord, I seek Your face.
Psalm 27:8b
(JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh )
Blessings and a happy Elul day to you!!
Love,
♡
Shayndel
Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch out your tabernacle curtains.
Do not hold back--
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.
Isaiah 54:2
(from this week's Haftarah reading)
 |
| A shofar "centerpiece"on the Shabbat table during the month of Elul |
 |
| Shabbat Shalom! |
Related post on this blog, with a little more explanation about Elul, HERE
＊
For a Torah Teaching on repentance in the month of Elul, Teshuvah (Repentance) and this week's Parsha Ki Tetze , HERE . This teaching and inspiration is on a weekly podcast by Jewish pop singer and Torah Teacher Ari Goldwag
＊
For a Torah Teaching on repentance in the month of Elul, Teshuvah (Repentance) and this week's Parsha Ki Tetze , HERE . This teaching and inspiration is on a weekly podcast by Jewish pop singer and Torah Teacher Ari Goldwag
This was a blessing to read this morning!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandi!
ReplyDeleteGlad it blessed you!
♡
Splendid Header, and all the pictures in your post!
ReplyDeleteIt suits you to blow the shofar. I'm surprised you've even got one, and it looks genuine.
When you say : "we prepare for the Day...." Whom do you mean? Do you have a congregation, or is it you and your husband, or what?
Please forgive my curiosity!
Blessings and Happy Elul!
Hi Duta, Thank you, I'm buoyed up by your enthusiasm! Yes, it is a genuine shofar! Good question about "we"...I'm smiling and not knowing quite how to answer. I think I meant it speaking as the general "we" ... as the Jewish people! Or all the people of God!! Isn't this how we prepare?!! I am just going with the Holy Spirit on this really! I tend to take authority as led by the Holy Spirit as I go out with my little shofar! I do have a small fellowship, and my husband took a few of the photos from an earlier elul post,so everyone gets involved in some way. Thank you for asking! Prayers welcome that more and more here will hear the call of the shofar and will enter into celebrating the Feasts!! Blessings and Happy Elul to you!! ♡
DeleteIt all sounds and looks beautiful!
Delete♡♡Thank you Duta!
DeleteHow wonderful that a cloud looks like the shofar!
ReplyDeleteNice that you blow the ram's horn from Elul every day.
Wish you many blessings.♥
Thank you Hobbyloes!
DeleteMany blessings to you♡
I love all your pictures. The weather still looks very warm and sunny there. Here it has been raining quite heavily for weeks already. Such an abrupt end to our summer. It is too early for us to have such rain.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. Sometimes it is difficult to know what sins we may still not have released. It is often I have to ask the Lord to show me what I may not easily see myself. Thank God he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us. Hugs and blessings. xx
Thank you Joyful! Amen!
ReplyDeleteIf we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1John 1:9
Hope the rain will clear soon and give way to beautiful and sunny autumn days.
Have a blessed week! Hugs and blessings! xx