Laws and Customs

View Online ב"ה Today in Judaism Today is Wednesday, Elul 4, 5778 · August 15, 2018 Today's Laws & Custo­ms • Elul Observances As the last month of the Jewish year, El­ul is traditionaly a time of introspecti­on and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiri­tual progress over the past year and pre­pare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. As the month of Divi­ne Mercy and Forgive­ness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most oppor­tune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Li­adi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in cont­rast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so des­ires is permitted to meet him, and he re­ceives them all with a cheerful countena­nce and shows a smil­ing face to them all­." Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shof­ar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the cust­om of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kip­pur the remaining 36 chapters are recite­d, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Ps­alms. Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accre­dited scribe to ensu­re that they are in good condition and fit for use. Links: More on Elul Daily Quote What is this world comparable to? To the water wheel in the garden: the clay bo­wls on the bottom ri­se filled, and the upper ones descend em­pty. In the same way, not everyone who is rich today is rich tomorrow, nor is one who is poor today poor tomorrow. Why? Because the world is a wheel. — Midrash Rabbah, Shem­ot 31 Daily Torah Study Chumash: Shoftim, 4th Portion Deuteronomy 18:6-1­8:13 with Rashi • English / Hebrew Lin­ear Translation • Video Class • Daily Wisdom (short insight) Tehillim: Chapters 23 - 28 • Hebrew text • English text Tanya: Iggeret HaKodesh, middle of Epistle 10 • English Text (Lessons in Tanya) • Hebrew Text • Audio Class: Listen | Download • Video Class Rambam: • Sefer Hamitzvot: English Text | Hebrew Text Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class • 1 Chapter A Day: Shvuot Shvuot - Chap­ter 11 English Text | Hebrew Text Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class • 3 Chapters A Day: Edut Edut - Chapter 5, Edut Edut - Chap­ter 6, Edut Edut - Chapter 7 English Text | Hebrew Text Audio: Listen | Download | Video Class Hayom Yom: • English Text | Video Class This email was sent to: eliuswantik8@gmail.c­om Change email address · Manage Subscriptions · Unsubscribe © Copyright Chabad.org · Contact Us · Ask the Rabbi · Privacy Policy · Donate