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 begin on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. At the heart of every Selichot service stand the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy from Exodus 34:6–7. The community recites them again and again, appealing to the very character of God revealed to Moses after the Golden Calf.
These attributes are not a magical formula that automatically produces forgiveness. They are a confession of who God is and a plea that He act according to His revealed nature. “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” The recitation trains the heart to hope in mercy rather than in personal merit.
Biblical models of Selichot-style prayer appear throughout the Tanach. Daniel’s great prayer in exile (Daniel 9) combines confession of national sin, appeal to God’s righteousness and mercy, and petition for the restoration of Jerusalem. Ezra’s prayer (Ezra 9) and the extended historical confession of Nehemiah 9 follow the same pattern. In each case the people acknowledge that they have no claim upon God except His own character and covenant.
In the Apostolic Writings the same attributes are embodied in Yeshua and offered freely to all who confess. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us… made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4–5). The intensification of Selichot is therefore both personal and national—an urgent cry for the mercy that will ultimately restore the whole House of Israel.
The daily repetition of the attributes during this season also shapes the intercessor. We learn to appeal to God’s mercy on behalf of others, including the scattered tribes still in exile from their land and from full covenant relationship. The same God who forgave after the Golden Calf is the God who has promised to gather, cleanse, and restore.
The repeated recitation of the Thirteen Attributes during Selichot also trains the intercessor to appeal to God’s character on behalf of others. We learn to stand in the gap for the House of Israel, asking the Holy One to act according to His mercy toward the scattered tribes and the remnant in the land. The same attributes that give hope to the individual give hope to the nation.
Practice for Day 21:
Recite the Thirteen Attributes slowly from Exodus 34:6–7. After each phrase, thank God for that aspect of His character and ask that it be applied both to your life and to the scattered tribes of Israel. If possible, join or listen to a Selichot service. Let the repeated appeal to mercy become the posture of your heart as Rosh Hashanah approaches.
