Rosh Chodesh which literally means "Head of the Month" is a monthly holiday that celebrates the arrival of the new moon, marking the start of a new month in the Jewish calendar.
The Jewish Calendar is a lunar calendar with twelve lunar months and 354 days per year. Each lunar month consists of 29 1/2 days. Since it is impossible to switch months in the middle of the day, certain Hebrew months have twenty-nine days whilst others have thirty days.
In order for the Jewish Festivals to be synchronized with the proper season, for example Passover (Pesach) which must fall in the spring (in Israel - the Northern Hemisphere), a leap year is added every few years. In a nineteen year cycle there will be seven leap years.
The Jewish leap year, however, is not like the leap year in the Gregorian calendar which is one day added on at the end of February every four years. A Jewish leap year adds on an entire month to close the gap between the 354 day lunar calendar and the 365 day solar calendar. Since the month of Adar (approximately February-March) is the last month of the Hebrew year, we add on an extra month at this time. We then have Adar I and Adar II which assures us that the holidays will be celebrated in the proper season. Originally, the date of Rosh Chodesh was confirmed on the testimony of witnesses observing the new moon, a procedure known as Kiddush Hachodesh (sanctification of the month). After the Sanhedrin (an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders or rabbi's, appointed to sit as a tribunal in every city in ancient Israel) declared Rosh Chodesh for either a full 30 day month or a 29 day month, news of it would then be communicated throughout Israel and the diaspora.
This system was dependent on the functioning of the Sanhedrin to declare the month, and to communicate this month to far-flung Jewish communities. In the 4th century CE, this became impossible and instead a fixed calendar of 29 and 30 day months was instituted by Hillel.
At the end of a 29 day month, Rosh Chodesh is celebrated for one day, on the first day of the new month. At the end of a 30 day month, Rosh Chodesh is celebrated for two days - the 30th day of the previous month, and the 1st day of the new month.
With the exception of the month of Heshvan, the eighth month of the year, every single month of the Jewish Calendar has some sort of special day or special observance. The importance of Rosh Chodesh is therefore obvious.
The names of the months are not Hebrew but Babylonian. The Bible refers to the Jewish holidays only by the order of the months and not by the Babylonian names which were assigned long after the canonization of the Torah. For example, the Torah gives the date of Yom Kippur as the tenth day of the seventh month, whilst the date of Pesach is the fifteenth day of the first month.
The month of Elul is one of the most spiritually significant months in the Jewish year. It is the month immediately preceding Tishrei, the month of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the other Yamim Tovim. Elul is therefore a time of preparation, when we begin to turn our attention inward, examine our deeds and strengthen our relationship with Hashem. It is traditionally associated with teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah, and with preparing ourselves spiritually for the Days of Awe. Elul is the sixth month when counting from Nissan, while it is the twelfth and final month when counting from Tishrei.
In 5786, Rosh Chodesh Elul begins at sunset Thursday 13 August and end at sunset on Saturday 15 August. Elul has 29 days, with 29 Elul falling on Friday, 11 September 2026. That evening, Rosh Hashanah begins and the new month of Tishrei commences. Thus, the daytime period of 29 Elul is the final day of the Jewish year 5786.
Elul always has 29 days according to the fixed Jewish calendar. The brevity of the month makes every day precious: there are only 29 days in which to prepare ourselves for Rosh Hashanah and the judgment of the coming year.
One of the best-known teachings concerning Elul is that its four Hebrew letters, אלול, form the initial letters of the verse in Shir HaShirim, “Ani l'dodi v'dodi li” – “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine” (Shir HaShirim 6:3). The verse expresses the profound relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. The acronym is mentioned by our traditional commentators and has become one of the central themes of the month.
The wording is particularly appropriate for Elul because it emphasizes our initiative in drawing closer to Hashem. The month calls upon us to take the first step: to examine our conduct, strengthen our observance, repair relationships and return to Hashem through sincere teshuvah. Chassidic teachings explain that the spiritual service of Elul begins with “Ani l'dodi” – “I am my beloved's”, our movement toward Hashem, which prepares us for the greater revelation of the Yamim Nora'im.
Elul has a profound historical connection with forgiveness and Divine mercy. On 1 Elul, Moshe Rabbeinu ascended Mount Sinai for the third and final period of forty days. He remained on the mountain until Yom Kippur, when he descended with the second Luchot, the Tablets of the Covenant. This followed the sin of the Golden Calf and the breaking of the first Tablets.
During this period, Hashem revealed to Moshe the Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy. The forty days from the beginning of Elul through Yom Kippur consequently became associated with teshuvah, forgiveness and Divine mercy.
This gives Elul a particularly hopeful message. The story of the second Luchot teaches that even after a terrible failure, there is a path back. Teshuvah allows a person to acknowledge what has gone wrong, regret it, make amends where necessary and return to the proper path.
One of the most recognisable customs of Elul is the sounding of the shofar. According to the widespread Ashkenazi custom, the shofar is sounded each morning throughout Elul, except on Shabbat and on the final day of Elul. The sound of the shofar serves as a spiritual awakening, reminding us that Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe are approaching.
The shofar is not merely a beautiful sound or a reminder that a festival is coming. It calls a person to wake up spiritually and examine his or her deeds. It encourages us not to allow the days of the year to pass without reflection. Elul gives us the opportunity to begin the work of teshuvah before we stand before Hashem on Rosh Hashanah.
There are also differences in custom concerning Selichot. Sephardic communities traditionally begin saying Selichot from the beginning of Elul, while Ashkenazi communities generally begin on the days immediately preceding Rosh Hashanah, according to the calendar and local custom.
Many communities also recite Psalm 27, “L'David Hashem Ori,” during the period surrounding Elul and the High Holy Days. This custom is especially associated with preparing spiritually for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Another important practice associated with Elul is the recitation of Selichot, special prayers of repentance and supplication for forgiveness. There are different customs among the Jewish communities regarding when Selichot begin.
Sephardi Jews traditionally recite Selichot throughout the entire month of Elul, beginning from the beginning of the month. This means that from the first days of Elul, Sephardi communities begin adding these special prayers of repentance and Divine mercy to their daily prayers.
Ashkenazi Jews traditionally begin saying Selichot shortly before Rosh Hashanah. The custom is generally to begin on the Sunday before Rosh Hashanah, provided that there are at least four days of Selichot before Rosh Hashanah. If Rosh Hashanah begins on a Monday or Tuesday, Selichot begin on the Sunday of the preceding week. This means that Ashkenazi communities generally recite Selichot for approximately the week before Rosh Hashanah, continuing through the days leading up to Yom Kippur.
The different customs share the same purpose: to awaken the heart to teshuvah and to prepare spiritually for the Days of Awe. The Selichot prayers contain repeated appeals to Hashem for mercy and forgiveness, including the Thirteen Attributes of Divine Mercy. Their recitation reminds us that Elul is not simply a time to think about the coming year, but a time to actively prepare ourselves through prayer, teshuvah and good deeds.
The month of Elul therefore has a gradual rhythm of spiritual preparation. The sounding of the shofar, the increased emphasis on teshuvah and tzedakah, the recitation of Psalm 27 according to many customs, and the addition of Selichot all help us prepare our hearts for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
A famous Chassidic teaching describes Elul with the metaphor of “the King is in the field.” The analogy describes a king who normally resides in his palace, where approaching him requires special permission and preparation. At certain times, however, the king leaves the palace and goes out to meet his people in the field. At that time, ordinary people can approach him directly.
The metaphor teaches that during Elul there is a special opportunity for a Jew to approach Hashem. We are encouraged to take advantage of this closeness by increasing our Torah learning, tefillah, mitzvot and acts of kindness and by making a sincere effort to improve ourselves.
According to Sefer Yetzirah and the Kabbalistic tradition based upon it, the mazal, or zodiac sign, associated with Elul is Betulah – Virgo, the maiden. Sefer Yetzirah establishes a correspondence between each Hebrew month and a particular letter, mazal, tribe, sense and limb of the body.
The association of Elul with the maiden has been explained in connection with the imagery of Shir HaShirim and the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people. During Elul, the Jewish people prepare themselves to renew and strengthen this relationship through teshuvah and mitzvot.
It is important to understand that these associations belong to the Kabbalistic tradition. They are not astrological predictions about a person's character or future. Judaism does not use the mazal of a month as a horoscope. Rather, this is a traditional mystical correspondence found in Sefer Yetzirah.
According to the Kabbalistic system of Sefer Yetzirah, the tribe associated with Elul is Gad. The name Gad is connected with good fortune, as Leah said when Gad was born, “Ba Gad” – “good fortune has come” (Bereishit 30:11). Gad was also associated with strength and with the organisation of military camps, as reflected in Yaakov's blessing: “Gad shall troop upon him” (Bereishit 49:19).
The connection between Gad and Elul can be understood in terms of the active nature of teshuvah. Elul is not intended to be merely a month of thinking about our shortcomings. True teshuvah requires action: changing our behaviour, correcting what we can, asking forgiveness, giving tzedakah and strengthening our commitment to Torah and mitzvot.
The Hebrew letter associated with Elul is Yud (י). Yud has the numerical value of ten and is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. According to Sefer Yetzirah, Yud corresponds to the month of Elul.
The smallness of the Yud offers a beautiful lesson in humility. During Elul, we are called upon to recognise our shortcomings honestly and to approach teshuvah with humility. At the same time, the tiny Yud reminds us that something seemingly small can contain great significance.
The Yud is also associated in Kabbalah with chochmah, wisdom, and its point-like form represents a concentrated beginning from which something much greater can develop. This is appropriate for Elul: one small decision to improve can become the beginning of meaningful change in the coming year.
Sefer Yetzirah associates Elul with the sense of action. This is especially meaningful when considering the nature of teshuvah. Recognition alone is not enough. We must translate our good intentions into deeds.
A person may realise that he or she needs to improve the way they speak to others, but the real test comes when that person actually changes the way they speak. Someone may recognise the importance of tzedakah, but the recognition becomes meaningful when it leads to giving. Someone may regret having neglected a mitzvah, but teshuvah becomes real when the person takes practical steps to strengthen that mitzvah.
Elul therefore teaches a simple but powerful lesson: spiritual growth requires action.
According to Sefer Yetzirah, the limb associated with Elul is the left hand. The connection is particularly appropriate because the sense associated with Elul is action. The hand is the part of the body through which many of our intentions become physical deeds.
The association with the left hand also has a connection with the mitzvah of tefillin, which are placed on the weaker arm, traditionally the left arm for a right-handed person. Kabbalistic teachings draw a connection between the hand and the transformation of spiritual intention into practical action.
Thus, the associations of Elul form a coherent picture: Yud, Gad, Virgo, action and the left hand all point toward taking the inner work of the month and expressing it through concrete deeds.
According to Jewish tradition, each of the twelve tribes was associated with one of the precious stones on the Choshen Mishpat, the breastplate worn by the Kohen Gadol. The stone associated with the tribe of Gad is called Achlamah. Achlamah is traditionally identified with amethyst, although there are different opinions about the exact identification of some of the stones mentioned in the Torah.
Amethyst is therefore traditionally associated with the month of Elul and the tribe of Gad.
Perhaps the central message of Elul is the message of teshuvah – return. The Hebrew word teshuvah comes from the root meaning “to return.” It is the opportunity to return to Hashem, to return to our true spiritual purpose and to correct the things that have taken us away from the path on which we wish to walk.
The Rambam explains that the essence of teshuvah includes recognising one's wrongdoing, regretting it, abandoning the incorrect behaviour and resolving not to repeat it. When another person has been hurt, teshuvah also requires making the appropriate effort to seek forgiveness and make amends.
Elul is therefore not intended to be a month of despair or excessive guilt. It is a month of opportunity. Every day gives us another chance to improve. A person does not need to transform his or her entire life overnight. One can begin with a single mitzvah, a single act of kindness, a single apology, a single improvement in speech or a renewed commitment to prayer.
As Elul progresses, the sound of the shofar reminds us that Rosh Hashanah is approaching. The month encourages us to examine our deeds, strengthen our relationship with Hashem and with other people, increase our acts of tzedakah and kindness, and prepare ourselves for the spiritual work of the Yamim Nora'im.
Elul teaches us that Rosh Hashanah should not arrive unexpectedly. We are given an entire month to prepare our hearts.
The message of Elul can be beautifully expressed in its famous acronym: Ani l'dodi v'dodi li – “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.” It reminds us that Hashem is not distant from us. When we make the effort to return to Him, we are beginning a journey that leads toward the holiness of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
May the month of Elul be a time of sincere teshuvah, increased Torah and mitzvot, renewed closeness to Hashem, and peace and kindness among all of Klal Yisrael. May our preparations bring us to Rosh Hashanah ready to ask Hashem for a year of health, blessing, peace and sweetness, and may we all be written and sealed for a good and sweet new year.