!ותשובה ותפילה וצדקה מעבירין את רע הגזרה

If we do teshuvah, daven with kavanah, and give tzedakah, Hashem will forgive us and save us from evil decrees.

These are the days we prepare for standing in front of Hashem to do Teshuvah on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

This short video from Rabbi Meir Elkabas at the Breslov Research Institute explains how this thinking and action is completely in line with Leadership Education.

The reason we start learning in Elul is to prepare for Rosh Hashanah.

The summer months of Tammuz and Av include the emotionally draining 3 weeks and Tisha b’Av, mixed with the heat of the summer. This period in time makes people laid back and not in the mood to act. They don’t have the enthusiasm to learn in the manner they did in the winter months.

Learning in Elul reignites the passion of Torah and getting back into action. Some start as early as Tu b’Av, and others wait till Rosh Chodesh Elul.

Tishrei is so jampacked with chagim (holidays), that we start learning about Elul right after Tisha b’av, so we can get the bulk of our Chagim learning done before Rosh Hashanah. Tishrei then becomes all about the preparations of the chagim and reviewing what we learned by doing what we learned, giving us the time to really connect with Hashem and the gift of this period of time to truly connect with Him.

The following is a compilation of resources to help guide you in your teaching of Elul. All resources are from Orthodox sources and follow the Torah’s teachings.

I have combined resources that will help a child bond to Elul through art, songs, and reading books. You will be able to cover the themes of Elul, minhagim of various Jews, Elul in the Torah, Elul in History, and then a variety of crafts for you all to do. There are resources for young children, youth, and for parents. I hope this eclectic amalgamation of resources will help you this year.

I hope in the future to grow this list and give even more resources for you all.

Only Brochot for a beautiful year ahead,

Esther Malkah Barak

Sections:

Main Themes of Elul

Minhagim of Elul

ELUL IN THE TORAH

IMPORTANT DATES IN ELUL

SHOFAR

SELICHOT

ELUL IN ART

IDEAS TO BRING ELUL TO LIFE

Elul Themed Music

Seforim List

STORY BOOKS

TOP PICKS FROM ONLINE TEACHING RESOURCES

MAIN THEMES OF ELUL:

· Rosh Chodesh is two days

· Elul is the last month of the year (if counting Tishrei as the first month)

· Elul- ימי רוצון – Days of our Desire

· The Acronyms of אלול – Ani v’Dodi v’Dodi Li

· This is a month of wanting to receive an answer from Hashem

· How do you do Teshuvah?

· Tzedakah – Why we give tzedakah, types of tzdakah, 10 levels of tzedakah

· The King is in the Field – Hashem is so close to us.

· No Shabbat Mevorchim

· Elul has 29 days

Great online resources to get information online:

13 Elul Facts – Chabad.org

Seven Thoughts about Elul To Help Us Turn Inward and Forgive – Chabad.org

How to Really Grow During The Month of Elul – From Aish

The Temple Institute on Elul – The Temple Institute

A Brief History of Elul – Chabad.org

Video Series from Naaleh featuring Rebbitzen Tziporah Heller: Elul, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – 62 videos in the series (for adults)

What is Elul? – Breslov.org

Breslov Shiurim

Kabbalah of The Zodiac: Elul – Virgo: The Month of Love, by Rabbi Simon Jacobson – Audio Course

MINHAGIM OF ELUL:

· To recite Tehillim (psalm) 27 during morning davening. Some also say it in Mincha.
Learn the meaning of Tehillim 27
Why we say Tehillim 27 from Chabad.org

· To recite 3 extra chapters of Tehillim where we complete the entire book on Yom Kippur.

· כתיבה וחתימה טובה – sending letters to our family and friends for a sweet new year and writing your own bracha that they should be inscribed into the Book Of Life.
How to great others on Rosh Hashanah from Chabad.org

· Many people check their Tefillin and Mezuzot in Elul

· Breslov Minhagim

ELUL IN THE TORAH

· Why did Moshe Rabbeinu ascend to heaven for 40 days and descend on Yom Kippur?

· Moshe Rabbeinu’s parents remarried

· 17^th Elul The Death of the Meraglim (Spies)

· Noah sent the Raven and the Dove from the ark to find dry land.

· 25^th of Elul – the day the world was created

· 26^th Elul Hashem separated the Heavens and the Earth

· 27^th of Elul Hashem created Dry Land, trees, flowers, grass, herbs, and fruit trees.

· 28^th of Elul Hashem created the sun, moon, and stars.

· 29^th of Elul Hashem created the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky

IMPORTANT DATES IN ELUL

· 3^rd of Elul is the yahrtzeit of Rav Kook

· The Ramban was born

· 13^th of Elul is the Yahrzeit of the Ben Ish Chai

· 18^th of Elul is the Yahrzeit of the Maharal of Prague

· Chai Elul is the birthday of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, and he started the Chassidic Movement on this day in 1734 the founder of Chassidism

· 18^th of Elul is the birthday of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadii, who created the “Chabad” branch of Chassidism

· 24^th of Elul is the Yahrzeit of the Chafetz Chaim

· 25^th of Elul Nechemyah completed the construction of the wall surrounding Yerushalyim.

· 27^th of Elul is the yahrtzeit of the Belzer Rebbe Shalom Rokeach who founded the Belz Chassidic dynasty

A Brief History of Elul from Chabad.org

Chabad.org Calendar has amazing ‘This Day in History’ facts to review everyday. This link goes to Rosh Chodesh Elul.

SHOFAR

· Why do we blow the shofar throughout the month of Elul?

· The sounds the shofar makes.

· How a shofar is made.

· Learn about the animals that can give their horns to make a shofar.

Shofar during the month of Elul, How and Why – article from Chabad.org

SHOFAR MAKING Factory and WORKSHOP In Israel

בית לשופרות – מרכז למבקרים קול שופר – Kol shofar – מושב גבעת יואב, רמת הגולן

Kol HaShofar is an incredible factory who also does tours. We were blessed to go with a homeschooling group for a tour last Elul. Their website is also loaded with fascinating information about shofarot. Website is in Hebrew and English.

The Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh has an incredible Hall of Shofars you can visit.

Barsheshet – Ribak Shofarot Israel – The famous factory of Israel also a beautiful site all about the shofar.

A playlist of videos all about the Shofar! Videos linked individually below:

Elul: The Sound of the Shofar

כל הנשמה שלי בפנים: איך מייצרים שופר?

The World of Shofars

המשוגעים לדבר: נולד עם שופר ביד

Making the shofar: a family tradition

Exploring The Shofar Sounds: Shofar Showcase at Judaica Plaza in Lakewood, NJ

A guide to blowing the Shofar

Meet the ‘Best Shofar Blower’ of the Modern World

SELICHOT

· What is Selichot?

· What are the tefillot of selichot?

· 13 Attributes of Mercy – Chabad.org Article

· What time do we say Selichot?

· Minhagim differences of when, and how long we say Selichot for.

· Minhagim for women – some women read Techinot instead of selichot

A Playlist of Slichot videos (or click individually below):

100,000 Attend Selichot at the Kotel

Highlights from 770 | The Days of Selichos | Elul 5749 from JEM

Selichot tefillot playlist sung by the young boy מידד טסה. They are so beautiful and children can connect to the tefillot even more as they’re being sung by someone around their age.

Yuval Taib playlist of north African Selichot Teffilot

Chabad Selichot at 770

ELUL IN ART

Yitzchak Moully challenged himself to create a unique, original Shofar painting everyday of Elul. How does he see Elul?

Karin Foreman painted “Elul with Psalm 27”. This painting has many layers. Can you see the symbolism of Elul and Teshuvah in the painting. How does the painting make you feel?

Baruch Nachshon – King Is In The Field

Baruch Nachson – Shofarim

Images from the Temple Institute depicting Tehillim 27

IDEAS TO BRING ELUL TO LIFE

Can you paint a shofar like Yitzchak Moully did for Elul???

Have the child list all the mitzvot they can do to help ‘tip the scales’. Make scales and place the words/pictures of mitzvot on one side of the scale to show them how to make the mitzvah side heavier. If you agree, you can put negative middot on the other side.

Make a big wall scale and put mitzvah notes for everybody in the family.

Or make a bean jar and everytime sometime does a mitzvah put a bean inside.

Visit a farm and see the horns of animals that make shofars.

Find out if Chabad has a shofar making workshop you can visit.

Learn about one of the Rebbeim that have a yahrzeit this month.

Find the pasukim in the Torah that occurred during the month of Elul.

Discuss with your child how different communities keep different minhagim during the month of Elul.

A fun quiz on Elul from Chabad.org

Elul Workbook – PDF Printable. Great for teens!

Rabbis Simon Jacobson has a FREE 60 Day Journey to discover the power of Elul and Tishrei

Elul Themed Music

Shana Tova by Shlock Rock