Dear B’nai Shalom members, families, and friends:
In just a short while, we will be “bentching Rosh Chodesh Elul” — that is, announcing in shul on the Shabbat before the new Hebrew month, the coming of the month of Elul.
Rosh Chodesh Elul is always a two day Rosh Chodesh. (On the Hebrew calendar, every Rosh Chodesh can be either one or two days, depending on the number of days in the outgoing month. The formula presents itself with every Hebrew month having either 29 or 30 days. If the outgoing month has THIRTY days, the upcoming Rosh Chodesh is a TWO DAY Rosh Chodesh. If the outgoing month has TWENTY-NINE days, the upcoming Rosh Chodesh is a ONE DAY Rosh Chodesh observance.
When there is a two day Rosh Chodesh, the first of the two days is observed on the thirtieth day of the outgoing month AND the first day of the new month. When there is a single day Rosh Chodesh, obviously the Rosh Chodesh observance
takes place on the first day of the new month only.
By Rosh Chodesh Elul being a TWO DAY Rosh Chodesh (by virtue of the fact that the outgoing month of Av always has thirty days, thus an upcoming Rosh Chodesh Elul that is observed for two days), we are presented with something of a problem and some confusion.
According to tradition, we begin blowing the Shofar at the beginning of the month of Elul as a sign and reminder of the coming of Rosh Hashanah, exactly one month from the beginning of Elul. Because Rosh Chodesh Elul is always a TWO DAY Rosh Chodesh, the question then arises whether we begin blowing Shofar on the first or second day of Rosh Chodesh. In addition, we Ashkenazic Jews have a tradition of beginning the include Psalm 27, known as “L’Dovid, Hashem Ori”, in our daily Shacharit (morning) and Maariv (evening) prayer services. This practice continues up to, and including the holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the day right after Sukkot. To be clear, the recitation of this Psalm would NOT be said the NEXT day: the holiday of Simchat Torah.
Once again, because Rosh Chodesh Elul is a two day Rosh Chodesh, there is also a question when to begin the practice of including this Psalm in our morning and evening prayer services, on the first or second day of the Rosh Chodesh observance.
Typically, we follow the opinion that declares the CORRECT day for beginning the blowing of Shofar in Elul and the recitation of “L’Dovid Hashem Ori” as the SECOND DAY of Rosh Chodesh Elul. Simply put and easy to understand, this opinion is based on the fact that the actual FIRST DAY of the month of Elul, is the SECOND DAY of Rosh Chodesh, as explained above in the fourth paragraph. At B’nai Shalom and in most Ashkenazic synagogues, this particular manner of beginning the Shofar blowing in Elul and the inclusion of “L’Dovid Hashem Ori” is the prevailing custom.
You will notice that this year, prior to the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, there will be four days of reciting the penitent prayers known as Selichot, begun this year on Saturday night, Sept. 16th (in B’nai Shalom at 11:30 p.m., following a fine program consistent with the theme of Selichot and preparing for Rosh Hashanah). You may have observed that there are NEVER less than four days of Selichot, as four days have been designated as the minimum number or required days of recitation of Selichot. If one were to find that there would be LESS THAN FOUR days of Selichot by starting the FIRST DAY (or night, as is the case in the first set of Selichot each year) on the Saturday night prior to Rosh Hashanah (when we traditionally begin the first set of Selichot, then more than a week’s worth of Selichot would be recited to ensure that the Selichot prayers begin on the Saturday night BEFORE Rosh Hashanah, AND that there could not be less than four days of its recitation.
We arrive at the minimum number of days of Selichot as four because of the minimum number of days it used to take to observe and inspect the Korbanot (the traditional sacrifices that used to be offered in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem) being four. It took no less than four days to properly inspect Korbanot being prepared as sacrifices to G-d in the Holy Temple.
In similar fashion, we look upon ourselves as the symbol of sacrifices in our modern days, as we present ourselves for inspection before HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the Holy One, Blessed be He, prior to Rosh Hashanah. We believe with a whole heart that our deeds, our actions, our language, and our conduct are thoroughly scrutinized by our Merciful Heavenly Father during Chodesh Elul, continuing through Rosh Hashanah, and remaining under Hashem’s inspection during the Aseret Y’May Teshuvah — the Ten Days of Penitence, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Just as the Temple-day sacrifices were brought for inspection and could not be approved in less than four days, we present ourselves in the same manner, humbling ourselves and working on our desired humility to be worthy of the end result and reward we haltingly request from our Father, our King in our Chodesh Elul prayers and those of the High Holidays.
May Chodesh Elul come to us in a positive manner, with our prayers genuine, inspired, and filled with the requisite motivation for HaKadosh Baruch Hu to answer those supplications in the way we want, need, desire, and hope for.
Shalom Uvracha to all,
Rabbi Dr. Yaacov Dvorin