13/08/2026
Rosh Chodesh Elul 🌑 5786 | New Moon Elul 🌑 5786.
[August/September 2026]
[1 Elul 5786 : Sundown Thurs. 13th - Dusk of Fri. 14th August 2026]
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This evening marks the Hebrew month of Elul. Elul is the 6th month of the Biblical Calendar, the month set apart for repentance, in anticipation of the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. If you were to count following Rabbinic tradition, Elul would be the last month of the year. It is a time to turn away from sin before starting the New Year.
The month of Elul is regarded as the beginning of the “Season of Teshuvah” that runs forty days from Elul to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Teshuvah is translated as repentance though it literally means to ‘shuv’ (return) towards God. This is an opportune time to put our spiritual house in order as we prepare for the Yamim Noraim - the Days of Awe (1st – 10th Tishri).
But why do we need forty days? The number forty is quite repetitive and of much significance in the scriptures. Scientifically, it takes forty days for a fetus to be formed in the mother’s womb. Additionally, Yahshua spent 40 days in the wilderness (Luke 4:2). Moses ascended Mt Sinai three consecutive times for forty days and forty nights. His first ascent was on the inaugural Shavuot (Pentecost), Sivan 6, after receiving the Ten Commandments, to receive the rest of the Torah. When he returned on 17th Tammuz, he found the children of Israel worshipping the Golden Calf which led him to break the stone tablets (Ex. 32:19). He then re-ascended Mt Sinai on 19th Tammuz to intercede for the Israelites who had angered ADONAI because of their idolatry. He later returned on 29th Av, but re-ascended again on 1st Elul with carved stone tablets that Elohim had instructed him to carve (Ex. 34:1). Moses returned forty days later at the end of Yom Kippur with the second set of tablets in hand (Ex. 34:29) and with the assurance of God’s forgiveness, after God had revealed His Divine name.
The name “Elul” is a name that returned with the Jews after the 70 year Babylonian exile. Much like other Hebrew month names like Nisan, Sivan, Tammuz and Av, Elul is also of Babylonian origin. Among the Jews, the name ”Elul” is regarded to be an acronym for the verse, “Ani L’dodi, V’dodi Li” – “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Songs of Solomon 6:3). Something to note is that at the end of each Hebrew phrase is the letter Yod which is the ‘i’ sound and it has a numerical value of 10. Therefore, the verse when combined has a numerical value of 40, signifying the forty days of Teshuvah.
The month of Elul therefore represents the time where Moses spent the 40 days pleading and preparing the second set of tablets after the sin of the Golden calf. Yahshua spent 40 days in the wilderness before starting his ministry. This period represents a time for national forgiveness and repentance of sin for Israel. It is a time to surrender to God and the truth of the Word. It is a time to diminish ourselves and regard God as the sole authority and first principle of all reasoning.
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