#BlogElul 9: Hear

Blessed are You, our God, who makes us holy with commandments and commands us to hear the sound of the shofar.

The mitzvah here is in the hearing, not in the sounding.
And so we hear....



The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! Read more about #BlogElul here.

#BlogElul 8: Believe

I believe in breakfast at any time of the day.
I believe in letting children choose their own clothes.
I believe in fresh air whenever possible.
I believe in ice cream at any time of day.
I believe in giggles.
I believe in stories, all kinds of stories.
I believe in early morning yoga stretches.
I believe in good solid hugs.
I believe in comfy pajamas.
I believe in naps.
I believe in holding hands.
I believe in love in the darkest of places.

What do you believe in?

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! Read more about #BlogElul here.

#BlogElul 7: Be

One of my favorite movie quotes is from Aladdin, when Robin Williams (z"l) as the Genie has turned himself into a bee, and he's buzzing around Aladdin.

"Beeee yourself!" he proclaims.

Isn't that what this process of Elul is all about?

Reminding us to be ourselves, to be our best selves, to find the self that we want to be....

Be yourself....

It's exhausting work trying constantly to be someone else.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! Read more about #BlogElul here.

#BlogElul 6: Search

My hand searches for his,
reaching into the empty place.
I search my mind 
for more fleeting moments, more memories.
I search the faces 
of every almost-9-year-old I encounter and I wonder.
I search the eyes 
of my living children, worried and afraid.
I search my heart 
for the courage to honor his life.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! Read more about #BlogElul here.

#BlogElul 5: Know

(Reposting this poem from last year's #blogElul, because I really like it.)

What do I

know?

Facts

Dates

Weights

Measures

Phone numbers

Birthdates

Ideas

We are a 

collection of

data. 

What do I 

really 

know?

The touch of her fingertips

The feel of his breath

The light in his eyes

The presence of

love. 

This I know. 

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! Read more about #BlogElul here.

#BlogElul 4: Accept

I accept that
I may not
be able to do
everything
that I want to do.

I accept that
things do not
always
work out
the way that
I want them to.

But do not think that
my acceptance
is also
acquiescence.

Because
it is
not.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! Read more about #BlogElul here.

#BlogElul 3: Bless

Lately I've been having a hard time with words of blessing.
They certainly don't trip off my tongue.

How to speak of blessing when it just doesn't seem right?

But then again...how not?

Last year I wrote about finding the blessings within the darkness.

I could not even begin to imagine what the next months would hold for us.

And yet....there are still blessings to be had.

We say "may his memory be for a blessing."

Blessings aren't always about joy, I've come to discover.
Blessings have more depth than that, I think.

It doesn't make the words that much easier to say, though.

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is traditionally a time of renewal and reflection. It offers a chance for spiritual preparation for the Days of Awe. It is traditional to begin one’s preparation for the High Holy Days during this month with the Selichot, the prayers of forgiveness. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed. All month, along with others, I'll be blogging a thought or two for each day to help with the month of preparation... I will be blogging here, and sharing #Elulgram photos on the same themes at imabima.tumblr.com. Follow me on twitter @imabima for all the #BlogElul posts, not only mine but others' as well! Read more about #BlogElul here.