From Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur we walk a forty-day path of teshuvah—return. These days recall the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai receiving the second set of tablets after the sin of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32–34; Deuteronomy 9–10). According to tradition, Moses ascended on the first of Elul and descended on the tenth of Tishrei—Yom Kippur—with the assurance of forgiveness. From that time these forty days have been designated as yemei ratzon, days of divine favor, when repentance is especially accepted.
The name Elul itself is read as the acronym of Song of Songs 6:3: “Ani le-dodi ve-dodi li” — “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” The final letters of those four words are yuds, whose numerical value totals forty, pointing to the full span of this season. Hasidic teaching adds that in Elul “the King is in the field”—accessible, approachable, near to all who seek Him (cf. Isaiah 55:6).
Our intention for this series is to pull together three strands. First, the traditional Jewish practices and themes of Elul and the Days of Awe: the daily shofar, Psalm 27, cheshbon ha-nefesh, interpersonal forgiveness, teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and the solemn liturgy of Yom Kippur. Second, the Messianic conviction that Yeshua is the ultimate High Priest and atoning sacrifice prefigured in the Yom Kippur service of Leviticus 16, the fulfillment of the Servant of Isaiah 53, and the Mediator of the new covenant promised in Jeremiah 31. Third, the great prophetic hope of the full restoration of the House of Israel—both Judah and the scattered tribes of Ephraim/Joseph—together with the nations who are grafted into the olive tree of Israel’s covenants (Ezekiel 37; Jeremiah 31; Romans 11).
The Apostolic Writings do not abolish these days; it deepens their meaning. Yeshua’s own ministry began with a call to repent. He was sent first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The apostles continued to observe the appointed times while proclaiming that the once-for-all atonement has been accomplished through the blood of the Messiah, who has entered the true heavenly sanctuary. At the same time they insist that God’s gifts and calling to Israel are irrevocable and that a day is coming when “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).
May these daily reflections awaken our hearts, deepen our personal return, strengthen our intercession for the whole House of Israel, and stir longing for the day when the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.
