Hi there!
I hope you’ve been well since I last pestered you during the counting of the Omer. It was absolutely amazing to share this year’s counting with so many people through an offering that you all received with so much love. It leaves me excited for all of the Omer counting seasons to come!
I’ve long wanted to find a similar practice for the month of Elul, but I’ve never landed on my practice, one that feels right in the way that counting the Omer does. I love blowing the shofar, I’ve spent some time with Psalm 27, and I’ve enjoyed a lot of different offerings each year, but my personal practice hasn’t fully solidified.
This year, in musing about the month and past practices, I mentioned off-hand to my dear friend Leia that I’d been toying with the idea of reflecting on one of the names of G-d for each day of Elul, looking at my relationship to that face of G-d, how well I’ve embodied those traits in my life over the past year, and how I might better embody that face of G-d in the coming year.
Things took off from there, and we’re doing the thing! I think that this year will result in something that we’d like to offer others, but for this year I just want to offer the idea and welcome you to incorporate it into this month in any way that resonates for you.
Here are some other ways that I connect with this time of year, if you’re looking for ideas:
- Opening Your Heart to Psalm 27 by Rabbi Debra J Robbins (there’s an app too)
- Elul Unbound 2024 from Judaism Unbound (see you on Fridays if you decide to join!)
- Weekly Elul offerings from The Torah Studio! (see you on Thursdays if you decide to join!)
- Change Happens in the Moment Before, a daily listening practice from the lovely Dr. Eva Peskin (hoping to make it to these!)
- Daily creative prompts from Jewish Studio Project (delivered to your inbox each day)
There are dozens of amazing offerings, and if there are practices you’ve come to love, I would welcome hearing about them. I may be sharing my process with the daily name reflections along the way, probably on Instragram if I do, but as this is new, I don’t want to promise a fully fleshed offering. Maybe in 5785!
I also wanted to share the news that my art was selected for the 5785 edition of the Radical Jewish Calendar and I’m honored and excited to be a part of this year. If you haven’t already ordered yours, go snag one! This year, 18% of sales are going to Palestinian-led organizations and movement work.
This is my piece, which was chosen for the month of Sivan:
My caption/note that accompanies the piece:
This piece is an attempt to honor a powerful Palestinian voice, one of many voices witnessing their people’s truth at a volume that refuses to allow the world to look away from genocide and an occupation that must come to an end. Bisan’s statement should not be a revolutionary idea, but it is worthy of a revolution. Sivan is a time of preparing to receive Torah, of gathering wisdom. Can we ever fully step into wisdom when we are not all free?
I hope that Elul contains gentle wisdom that carries each of us safely and firmly toward not just the upcoming year but a better world to come.
Chodesh tov,
Yaakov
originally shared via the newsletter