August 1, 2026
Turning the pages of the calendar is often a daunting task. The passage of time can stir emotions that blend the elements of sacred aging with the potential for self-reflection and growth. Jewish tradition has always focused on the moment; what has already happened cannot be the sole focus of our minds, lest it paralyze us from living or stunt our growth. What may come in the future awakens anxiety because we have told ourselves stories that we do not know will come to be. While we can plan for the future, life may throw us curveballs, causing us to pivot in a new direction.
Turning the calendar to the Hebrew month of Elul, the month leading up to the High Holy Days, and then to Tishrei, in which we celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is an even more daunting task. For it is in this month that we stand before the true Judge. Whether we believe that Judge is God, or perhaps even if we are the judge, we stand under a microscope and look at ourselves as we try to do better. We might ask ourselves: When does this season begin? For most of our lives, we are taught that this season of turning begins when we arrive at the synagogue and immerse ourselves in our prayers for these ten awe-inspiring days. Jewish tradition teaches us that the season began all the way back on Tisha B’Av, when we mark the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem, in 586 BCE and then again in 70 CE. We then mark another significant moment in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah: Selichot.
Selichot translates to forgiveness, and it is the moment when we first say the prayers so familiar to us from Yom Kippur. We hear the sound of the shofar and sing Avinu Malkeinu for the first time during the season. Not surprisingly, Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions offer different customs surrounding this observance. The Sephardic community observes Selichot early in the morning, beginning at the start of Elul. The Ashkenazi community, however, begins Selichot around midnight on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. If Rosh Hashanah falls early in the week, Selichot begins a week earlier. At Beth Tikvah, we observe Selichot with a meaningful program on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. We usually begin around 7:00 p.m. and conclude by 9:30 p.m. The program often focuses on a theme related to the High Holy Days or Jewish life. In recent years, we have focused on trauma, repair, or personal growth. We have welcomed speakers, watched short films, engaged in text study, and then concluded the evening with a short prayer service.
Selichot is a tradition unfamiliar to many of us. Perhaps our synagogues did not observe it when we were younger; perhaps they did, and we did not attend. I hope you will consider joining us this year on Saturday evening, September 5, for our Selichot observance, a meaningful opportunity to engage in community, reflect deeply, and perhaps take our first step on the journey through a season that awakens the deepest awe within our souls.
Rabbi Rick Kellner