KEHILAT ARIEL MESSIANIC SYNAGOGUE NEWSLETTER
Volume 21, Number 1, September/October 2004
Elul/Tishri 5765
Email- ka@KehilatAriel.org
Mail- P.O. Box 178755, San Diego, CA 92177 Phone- (858) 490-4355
Barney Kasdan Messianic Rabbi
Elul--Preparing to Meet the King
By Rabbi Barney Kasdan
Ah…summer! It is certainly a favored time of year for many people. The warm weather, outdoor activities, baseball and barbeques (among other things) all add to the enjoyment and break from the routine of the rest of the year. In the Jewish calendar cycle we might be tempted to think that it is also a respite from busy activities and holy days that pack into the rest of the year. But think again. Maybe in the back of our minds we anticipate the coming High Holy Days in September and October. Yet the spiritual preparation for these important festivals actually begins by mid-August. Since Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are so vital to our spiritual journey, Jewish tradition also mandates that the month before should become a time of spiritual and emotional preparation. It starts with the sixth month on the Hebrew calendar called Elul (this year starting on August 18). The 29 days of this month is added to the 10 days of the next month (Tishrei) to give us a 40-day period of spiritual contemplation. Those who attend a weekday synagogue service will notice some distinct additions to help us focus on our personal preparation for the Holy Days. The shofar (ram's horn) is sounded every day except Shabbat during Elul as a wake-up call to consider the state of our soul and our relationship to our Heavenly Father. Likewise it is traditional to recite Psalm 27 following services ("The L-rd is my light and my salvation…"). The last week of Elul is emphasized with the reading before the morning services of the Selichot prayers for forgiveness and mercy. The common themes throughout this 40-day period are repentance and preparation to meet our King. While there is a serious and even an awesome side to this preparation, reminders of G-d's love are also evident. We are told that the four Hebrew letters of the word Elul comprise an acronym for the beautiful verse in Song of Songs "ani l'dodi v'dodi li" (I am my Beloved's and my Beloved in mine), a clear reassurance of G-d's love for His people.
Those of us in Messianic Judaism continue in various levels of observance of our heritage and certainly appreciate the spiritual lessons found in the month of Elul. In fact, Messianic Jews and non-Jews have a great additional motivation to value this season even beyond what the rabbis emphasize. It seems that the month of Elul and the 40-day period was observed by our Messiah Yeshua. "Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He became hungry" [Matthew 4:1-2]. Is there evidence that suggests that this could be the intense time of Elul?
