Day 21 – Selichot and the Thirteen Attributes Intensify
As Elul advances, the penitential prayers known as Selichot take center stage. Sephardic communities begin them at the start of the month; Ashkenazic communities traditionally…
Day 20 – The Work of Middot: A Summary and Turning Point
The past ten days have focused on the concrete shape of teshuvah in character: humility, guarded speech, the overcoming of anger, love of neighbor, practical…
Day 19 – Healing Envy and the Breach Between Brothers
Envy and jealousy are among the most corrosive middot. Proverbs 14:30 calls envy “rottenness of the bones.” It destroys relationships, communities, and nations. The historic…
Day 18 – Kindness and Chesed
Chesed—loving-kindness, loyal love, covenant faithfulness—is one of the central attributes of God and one of the three pillars on which the world stands (Pirkei Avot…
Day 17 – Truthfulness and Integrity
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit” (Psalm 34:13). Truthfulness is foundational to every other middah. Without integrity of speech and…
Day 16 – Patience and Long-Suffering
Patience (savlanut or erech apayim) is the capacity to bear delay, difficulty, injustice, and the weaknesses of others without bitterness, rash speech, or despair. It…
Day 15 – Selichot: The Prayers of Forgiveness
Sephardic communities begin the recitation of Selichot (penitential prayers) at the beginning of Elul; Ashkenazic communities traditionally begin on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah….