Holidays
Rosh Hashana
Elul and Rosh Hashana
Rosh Hashana
During the period of Elul to Rosh Hashanah, individuals are encouraged to bring themselves to a state where they are open to higher intervention. This is not about thinking in terms of the current year but rather about preparing for the change that is needed in the coming time. This period, from Elul to Rosh Hashanah, is also associated with finishing a cycle of reading Torah within the time of preparation of Elul leading up to the Ten Days of Repentance and then Yom Kippur.
Jewish New Year - A Blessing 2025
The essence of blessing is not merely a personal gain, but a higher responsibility to align with divine will and guide humanity toward reformation. A blessing is defined as the power and ability to contribute to the completion of this mission — the spiritual refinement of the world. This year’s Hebrew letters are seen as pointing toward a sacred partnership between the Shechina and the Holy One, with all our intentions and discourse needing to serve the purpose of divine communion. Blessing, therefore, is understood as living and acting with the consciousness that our words and deeds should create space for divine light to dwell within reality.
The teaching also stresses that this process is not gentle but transformative, often involving judgment and the “fire of change” that compels us to transmute ourselves. The responsibility includes recognizing the suffering of those who are spiritually or physically “held hostage,” seeing them not as separate but as part of ourselves. True blessing comes from assuming this responsibility — embracing the language of the spirit, communion, and partnership with the Creator. By doing so, we honor the journey of the soul and help instate the divine will in the world, transforming hardship into an opportunity for spiritual growth and reformation.
Rosh Hashana - Tying Intention to the Root
There is a distinguishment between setting intention and performing divine reform: our role is to raise and tie intentions — to recognize conditions and deliver those intentions to the spiritual root — while the actual work of reformation belongs to a higher power. They admit human impotence in changing the world directly, observing that the world's brokenness makes clear that human action alone is not the decisive force. This humility frames a practice of offering effort and clarity of heart rather than claiming authorship of transformation.
The Spiritual Walk in Kabbalah: Rosh Hashana and the Call of Lech Lecha
Rosh Hashana enables us to renew and re-create in ourselves. The Hebrew year contains a strong link between Elul and Tishrei. In Elul you collect the need to continue, and be in a particular and defined relation with the light. It’s re-collecting our self into the need of continued walking.
When we meet Abraham at the Lech Lecha portion, we meet him on the move. Lech Lecha isn’t the first time he starts his journey, rather in Noah's portion. The pressure is to move them away--to where? Back to their origin.
Elul: Preparing for a New Beginning
Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal raises the question of what allows the renewal of our state — what is the origin of renewal within the work in Elul and how we approach the difference between a state where we feel blocked and a state where we feel supported.
The Gift of Elul
This month allows us to search within ourselves for priorities and the importance that enable us to acquire the language of a new dimension called faith or belief.
Everything we define for ourselves or believe we grasp in the language of belief must be sent away. This is the meaning of forgiveness: the ability to release it from oneself.
In this search, we arrive at the thought and contemplation of our true purpose here. This becomes the gift related to the way we think about each other, since without considering one another, we cannot constitute a true language.
Elul is a Month of Teshuva
Elul is the month of teshuvah, which means the possibility of a dialogue. Teshuvah is to bring back my wills and abilities to a connection, to return proximity and dialogue. It is the time when the king is in the field, the skies are open, and one confesses for not listening, for pride, and for believing one could manage alone.
Elul says there is the possibility to recreate dialogue through Binah, with the help of teshuvah given from Binah, the power to return to the source. This power allows one to arrive anew if confession and regret are true.
The Deeper Meaning of Murdering the Spirit
Rabbah Saphir Noyman Eyal explains that “murder” in its deepest sense is not the killing of the divine spirit itself — which is eternal — but the denial of its presence and mission within us. To take a life, or to disconnect from one’s own soul, is to deny the journey of the spirit, to cut off the opportunity for communion with the Creator. This act, whether done knowingly or through ignorance, is a form of divorcing ourselves from our own consciousness and spiritual evolution. In this sense, “murder” means expelling the possibility of union and belonging that the spirit offers, reducing our awareness of life’s sacred value.
Rabbah Saphir emphasizes that the prohibitions of “do not murder” and “do not steal” first apply to our own selves. We cannot literally kill the spirit, for it is divine, but we can suppress its presence in our lives, effectively murdering its expression within us. The month of Elul, through divine mercy, reveals this truth: that we often void our existence of spirit without realizing it. Yet in this awareness lies the possibility of restoration. With blessing and intention, we can reconnect, restore the spirit’s presence within us, and reclaim the value of life t
Tying Intention to the Root Rosh Hashana
There is a distinguishment between setting intention and performing divine reform: our role is to raise and tie intentions — to recognize conditions and deliver those intentions to the spiritual root — while the actual work of reformation belongs to a higher power. They admit human impotence in changing the world directly, observing that the world's brokenness makes clear that human action alone is not the decisive force. This humility frames a practice of offering effort and clarity of heart rather than claiming authorship of transformation.
Yom Kippur and Sukkot reveal different spiritual dynamics. Yom Kippur’s limitless grace allows prayer to be effective anywhere — from synagogue to field — while Rosh Hashanah’s focus on judgment tightens consciousness and practice. The speaker imagines “seeding” human needs into the true field of work