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I'm sharing my annual Humanistic blowing of the shofar video for anyone who hasn't had the chance to hear #shofar during his month of Elul (the Jewish month of preparation for the High Holidays)

Im dedicating this to all who are about the work of Tikun Olam (world repair), but especially to my dear friends at The Spinoza Havurah and all of my friends from Judaism Unbound and the Unyeshiva.

#Elul #HighHolidays #Judaism #RoshHashanah #Mazeldon #HumanisticJudaism

https://youtu.be/uXVYUar9i0Q?si=Oz00W_jTCQp-sQha

The month of #Elul is a time for reflection and repentance for #Jews. But how do we do that amid #Israel's genocide in #Gaza?

Elul and Repenting for Gaza
Watch on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/mitchellplitnick/p/elul-and-repenting-for-gaza

Or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N_g8yVB8HWs

Today begins Elul 🌅—a month of reflection and renewal.
Who have you become this year, and who do you want to be?

Elul calls us to pause, take inventory, forgive, and realign.
Not perfection—intention.
Each day is a chance to grow braver, kinder, and closer to your best self. ✨

#elul #months #selfgrowth

From Ritual Well:
🌿 A Loving Walk Through Elul
Beloved teacher Rabbi Vivie Mayer gently guides us through the month with wisdom, heart, and compassion — a journey you can take at your own pace. Her teachings are an invitation to slow down and meet this season with tenderness.

Info & Registration: https://ritualwell.org/learn/at-your-own-pace/an-exploration-of-teshuvah-and-love/

#Mazeldon #Jewish #Judaism #Elul #HighHolyDays #TikkunOlam

Elul: An Exploration of Teshuvah and Love
We walk through the process of repentance: not with fear and awe, but from love and compassion towards ourselves and others.

Add Love to Elul
Ritual Well
Tradition & Innovation

During the month of Elul we are invited to pause, to reflect on the past year and ask “How might I make amends? How might I do better?”

We grow our spirit and our relations through this practice of teshuvah, return and repentance. And yet, we know that sometimes when doing this truthful hard work, it can bring out our harsher, critical side.

Rabbi Vivie Mayer, a respected spiritual leader and contributor to Ritualwell, teaches that true teshuvah comes only when accompanied by love and compassion. She offers a text-rich guide for bringing a heart-filled approach to the work of teshuvah during these days of awe.

In this Learn at Your Own Pace Immersion, you will find:

Four 15-minute teaching videos that explore the topics of Do the Hard Work of Teshuvah with Love; Rebuke as an Act of Love; Reminding Ourselves of Love; and Love and Confession

Introductions to songs and chants that you can carry to the Days of Awe – and every day of the year

Reflective prompts to dive deeper and process your experiences and actions

Upon registration, you will receive unlimited access to these materials, enabling you to engage with them at your own pace and revisit them whenever you wish.

Starts next week! Come join us for this 3-session course in prep for the high holy days. Everyone is welcome. #Elul begins next week! This is the most popular class we offer.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:naqoj5ohckdvcjlhlwa4cgw3/post/3lwhuzwy5os2i

elul journal prompt number seventeen, twentieth of elul:

What's something you believe in, but don't live out? What's something reflected by your actions that doesn't align with your heart?

mosaic of a basket of pomegranates, found in the Maon Synagogue, a 6th-century synagogue and archaeological site in the Negev Desert. photo credit to Avishai Teicher: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PikiWiki_Israel_7439_basket_with_pomegranates_in_maon_mosaic.jpg

#judaism #jewish #elul #aesthetic #journalprompt #archaeology #synagogue #pomegranate #mosaic #art

Today is #hobbitday! ICYMI, watch this video about #Elul, with Avidan Halivni of Jewish Learning Collaborative, which includes a 4 minute Dvar from me on Aragorn 😂THE HANDS OF THE KING ARE THE HANDS OF A HEALER! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_wFj6rPEdS/?igsh=MXFnODg4YW5iY2Uyaw==

elul journal prompt number sixteen, nineteenth of elul:

Who in the Torah or Tanakh or Talmud do you most identify with? What can you learn from them?

Austrian Mahzor (Festival Prayer Book). made of pierced, repousse, traced, engraved, and cast silver; and ink printed on paper. dated 1765-1855 and printed by Anton Schmid. now belongs to the Jewish Museum: https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/7183-book-cover-with-prayer-book-mahzor-festival-prayer-book

#jewish #judaism #elul #aesthetic #journalprompt #mahzor #judaica #jewishart

Four Words of Teshuvah: Stop, Regret, Say, Commit

September 16, 2024

Rabbi Gregory Hersh

Read here: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/article/four-words-of-teshuvah-stop-regret-say-commit/

#Mazeldon #Jewniverse #Elul #HighHolidays

Read: Stop. Regret. Say. Commit

The point of Rosh Hashanah and the High Holidays isn’t necessarily to repent sin, it’s to embrace an opportunity for personal growth and change, writes Rabbi Gregory Hersh.

Sourced from Reconstructing Judaism

elul journal prompt number thirteen, fifteenth of elul:

What is one thing you are ashamed of? One thing you are proud of?

Apple Picnic Socks. pattern, socks, and photograph by Ariel Chang: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/apple-picnic-socks

#judaism #jewish #elul #aesthetic #apple #apples #knit

elul journal prompt number twelve, fourteenth of elul:

What questions do you most want to ask G-d? What do They ask of you?

David Praying in the Night. gouache on board by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1896-1902. better known as James Tissot, this Catholic painter was raised by a drapery merchant and a milliner. much of his work reflected his background, with a significant amount of his artwork either depicting women's fashion or biblical tales.

#jewish #judaism #elul #aesthetic #art #arthistory #gouache #jamestissot

elul journal prompt number ten, twelfth of elul:

What are you certain you won't change your mind about? Should you be so certain?

Rosh Hashanah, from the Holiday Series. painting by Arthur Szyk, 1948. raised a Polish Jew in Łódź and attached to both his Polish and Jewish identity, Arthur Szyk was heavily influenced by medieval illuminated manuscripts early in his development as an artist. later, he would become most well-known for his political cartoons and illustrations.

#judaism #jewish #elul #art #jewishart #aesthetic #painting #arthurszyk

Amid all the chaos of moving (& did I mention simultaneously preparing for the High Holy Days & teaching....????) somehow Bo finds a place of rest among the moving supplies. I'm practicing being like him. #dogsofmastodon #Moving #HighHolidays #Elul

apricot labradoodle lying among a whole mess of moving supplies.

digging this quote from Judaism Unbound's recent newsletter:

“If you believe you can damage, then believe that you can repair. If you can believe that you can harm, then believe that you can heal.”

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

#elul, #jewniverse

elul journal prompt number six, seventh of elul:

What about teshuvah feels comforting to you? What about it feels uncomfortable?

photo credit to USSR Post: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Soviet_Union_1971_CPA_3995_stamp_(Honey_Bee_on_Apple_Blossom_and_Honeycomb).png

#judaism #jewish #elul #art #aesthetic #journalprompt #stamp #stamps #vintage #history #vintagestamps

elul journal prompt number five, sixth of elul:

What does teshuvah mean for your community?

art credit to Leoangeloart: https://www.reddit.com/r/painting/comments/e337nf/pomegranate/

#judaism #jewish #elul #art #aesthetic #pomegranate #pomegranates #journalprompt #painting

elul journal prompt number four, fifth of elul:

What does teshuvah mean to you?

A Happy New Year. Jewish greeting card by Mordecai Menahem Cohen, 5693 / 1932. it seems there is little to no information about the artist available online, but two of his greeting cards are available to view in the Jewish Museum's online collection: https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/artist/mordecai-menahem-cohen

#judaism #jewish #jewishart #greetingcard #roshhashana #elul #journalprompt #art