Beth Schafer
Elul is not just the month before the High Holy Days; it is the doorway into them. Tradition teaches that this is the time for cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul. Looking inward, naming where we have fallen short, and imagining where we want to grow sharpens our vision for the year ahead. But Elul isn’t only an intellectual exercise. If we stay in our heads, we risk missing the deeper invitation.
Because Elul is a season of opportunity.
In this week’s portion, Ki Teitzei, the Torah presents 74 mitzvot — more than any other portion. They are not lofty pronouncements but grounded instructions, woven into the fabric of daily life. Each mitzvah is a quiet reminder that holiness is found in the ordinary: returning a lost item, building safety for the vulnerable, offering care instead of indifference. These laws are not abstract ideals but everyday acts that train us to notice, protect, and repair. They teach that holiness lives not only in the sanctuary, but in the choices we make when no one is watching. And, they are perfect examples of how we should spend our time during Elul.
As a musician, I know the difference between studying theory and playing notes. Just as a pianist cannot prepare for a performance by only reading about harmony, we cannot prepare for renewal by only thinking about change. We have to practice it. Mitzvot are our practice scales — daily exercises that ready our souls for the symphony of the new year. Each act primes us to embody the compassion, attention, and presence we long to bring into our lives.
Elul asks us: Will you stay in your head, or will you step into your life? Will you rehearse love and responsibility in the everyday so that when the shofar sounds, you are ready not only to hear it, but to answer?
This is the invitation of Elul. To see each mitzvah not as burden, but as opportunity. To prime ourselves through action. To step into the New Year not with hesitation, but with momentum.
If you’d like to explore these themes further, I invite you to listen to our podcast Seeking Sinai, where I speak with Rabbi Natan Trief about how Elul draws us into a season of hope. You can listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Beth
