Rabbi Ron Segal
Today marks the beginning of Elul, the Hebrew calendar month that precedes the start of the New Year. As shared each year at this time, Elul invites us to slow down, look inward, and prepare ourselves for the High Holy Days. It is month sometimes described as a time for an “accounting of the soul” – a fairly intimidating concept that might conjure up images of sitting alone in deep contemplation and taking stock of every mistake we have made over the past year. Perhaps, though, Elul can be meaningfully understood not as a time for judging ourselves but as a month for “noticing” ourselves.
Consider how often we discover a behavior or habit only after someone else points it out. Maybe we find ourselves having the same disagreement with our spouse or partner, or interrupting our children without realizing it. Maybe we’ve grown impatient with a colleague whose way of doing things frustrates us. Perhaps we find ourselves repeatedly in the same rut.
Approached with thoughtful intention, Elul gives us a window of time during which to notice these patterns… before the next argument, interruption, moment of impatience, or repeated frustration. It is a month for becoming curious about ourselves: “What patterns have I fallen into that I’d like to change? When have I been my best self, and where have I been less than the person I want to be? Is there someone I need to call, thank, forgive, or ask forgiveness from?”
There is no expectation that we have figured everything out before the start of the New Year; we are asked simply to arrive willing to look at ourselves honestly. So as Elul begins, consider setting aside a few quiet minutes each day, not to criticize, but to notice, to pay attention. Sometimes the first step toward becoming our best self is simply stopping to see clearly who we have been.
