Elul Learning with Rabbi Rose

On the first of Elul Moses went up to Mt. Sinai to seek forgiveness. He came down forty days later, on Yom Kippur, with the ten commandments. Ever since, this forty day period (Elul starts on August 21st) has been understood as a time of intense reflection and spiritual preparation for Yom Kippur. While Moses’ journey was singular in terms of prophecy, it was paradigmatic in terms of the lessons we can draw about teshuvah, the process of atonement and forgiveness that is at the core of the High Holy Days. We will look closely at Moses’ journey and the events on Sinai for clues that we can put to work in our own self-reflection and preparation for Yom Kippur.