Musical Meditations on Elul

As we enter the month of Elul, the month leading up to the High Holidays, we begin to consider the cheshbon hanefesh, the accounting of the soul, that we undertake during the Ten Days of Repentance. We think about our return, both to God and to our truest selves. We consider our actions over the past year and how we might act better in the year to come. We contemplate what it means to be written in the Book of Life for good and the opportunity we have once that Book is open and before it is sealed to mend our relationships.

We cannot undertake such profound self-evaluation without preparation. We use this month of Elul to contemplate the themes of the High Holidays, the themes of return and repentance, so that we may be prepared for our personal t’shuvah once we reach Rosh HaShanah. During our Friday evening worship this month, each service will feature a piece of secular music that will highlight one of the themes of Elul. The music and the lyrics are meant to inspire our thoughts, to touch our spirits, and to acknowledge the universality of our individual internal struggles. In the lyrics of talented songwriters we see ourselves. And, as we have discovered and discussed many times before, the music of talented songwriters reaches us in a way that words alone cannot.

Each week we will present the music and the lyrics and the Cantor’s thoughts on the particular piece so that you can share in our collective preparation for the High Holidays even if you cannot attend services. May this season of return be meaningful and may you be written in the Book of Life for a year of blessing, L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu.

Please click on the links below to listen to the musical selections and Cantor's thoughts.

• Kabbalat Shabbat September 23
• Kabbalat Shabbat September 19
• Kabbalat Shabbat September 12
• Kabbalat Shabbat September 5