In our tradition, the month of Elul and the subsequent Jamim Nora'iem (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) are a time of deep reflection, teshuva and preparation for a new year. But the sages and the Hasidic teachings give us another powerful picture: the comparison between this period and a pregnancy and birth.
Elul: the pregnancy
Elul is often described as a month when we prepare ourselves, when we plant seeds of change and renewal. Just as pregnancy is the time when a new life grows invisibly but continuously, Elul is the time when we grow internally and lay the foundations for the year ahead.
The letters of Elul (אלול) are often interpreted as acronyms:
"Ani leDodi veDodi li" - "I belong to my Beloved and my Beloved belongs to me" (Song of Songs 6:3).
This intimate relationship with HaShem is the breeding ground for the new creation to be born in the coming holidays.
Rosh Hashanah: the birth
On Rosh Hashanah, we say in the liturgy:
"Hayom harat olam" - "Today the world conceived/pregnant."
The Hebrew word harat means both "pregnancy" and "birth-in-formation". On this day, the world is reborn, as it were. Not only the cosmos, but also we ourselves are given a new chance, a new beginning, a new year of life open to us.
Just as in a birth the mother experiences pain and excitement, we feel the severity and awe of the day. But at the same time, there is the joy of new life being brought into the world by HaShem.
The Ten Days of Repentance: the maternity period
The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur can be compared to the critical days just after birth: a fragile, sensitive time when the new life still needs to be shaped and protected.
Our choices in these days determine how strong and pure this "new year" will unfold. Through teshuvah, tefila and tsedaka, we nourish our new beginning and give it viability.
Yom Kippur and Sukkot: protection and growth
Birth is followed by Yom Kipur - the day of purification, when the new life takes its first breath.
Then Sukkot: the days of protection, during which we sit in the sukkah as if under the Ananei HaKavod (Clouds of Glory). This depicts G-d surrounding His newborn people with love, safety and warmth - just as a newborn child is cherished.
The cycle ends with Shemini Atseret and Simchat Torah: the joyous celebration of this new life, in which we dance with the Torah as an expression of our connection to the Source of all life.
The time from Elul to Simchat Torah is more than a series of holidays - it is a process of cosmic pregnancy and birth. Elul prepares us as a mother carrying new life, Rosh Hashanah brings birth to the world and to ourselves, Yom Kipur cleanses, and Sukkot protects our newborn existence under G-d's wings.
May we experience this year that HaShem gives us new life, and that we carry this gift with care, joy and responsibility.
Written by Sarah Bakker
Did you enjoy this article? Like and spread the word further!
© Copyright, all rights reserved.
