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….
Day 14 – From Fasting to Feasting: The Hope of Comfort
Although we are well into Elul, the memory of the fast of the fifth month (Tisha B’Av) still lingers in the background of the season….
Day 13 – Love of Neighbor as the Great Principle
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) is called by Rabbi Akiva the great principle of the Torah. Yeshua ranks it together with…
Day 12 – Guarding the Tongue
The Sages teach that the majority of the sins for which we must repent during this season are sins of speech. Leviticus 19:16 forbids walking…