{"id":4814,"date":"2021-08-01T20:24:02","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T01:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/?p=4814"},"modified":"2021-08-01T20:37:17","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T01:37:17","slug":"the-forty-days-of-teshuvah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/the-forty-days-of-teshuvah\/","title":{"rendered":"The Forty Days of Teshuvah…."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The last month of the Jewish calendar (counting from Tishri) is called Elul<\/em> (\u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05d5\u05bc\u05dc), which begins at sundown on Saturday, August 7th this year. Traditionally, Rosh Chodesh Elul<\/a> marks the beginning of a forty day \u201cSeason of Teshuvah\u201d that culminates on the solemn holiday of Yom Kippur<\/a>. The month of Elul is therefore a time set aside each year to prepare for the Yamim Nora\u2019im,<\/em> the \u201cDays of Awe,\u201d by getting our spiritual house in order.\u00a0\u00a0This year is especially important, friends, since time is short and the return of the Lord is imminent…<\/p>\n

Beginning on Rosh Chodesh Elul<\/a> and continuing until the day before Rosh Hashanah<\/a>, it is customary to blow the shofar<\/em> (ram’s horn) every day (except for Shabbat). This practice was adopted to help us awaken for the coming High Holidays. The custom is to first blow tekiah <\/em>(\u05ea\u05bc\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4), a long single blast (the sound of the King’s coronation), followed by shevarim<\/em> (\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd), three short, wail-like blasts (signifying repentance), followed by teruah<\/em> (\u05ea\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4), several short blasts of alarm (to awaken the soul), and to close with tekiah hagadol<\/em> (\u05ea\u05bc\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05d2\u05bc\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc), a long, final blast.<\/p>\n

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We are all on a spiritual journey, writing the \u201cBook of our Life.\u201d To help us in the \u201cwriting\u201d process, the Jewish sages encouraged us to set aside as a season each year for cheshbon hanefesh<\/em> (\u05d7\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05b6\u05e4\u05b6\u05e9\u05c1) – \u201cmaking an account of the soul.\u201d This means that we engage in honest self-examination about our behavior. After all, what is the essence of teshuvah<\/em> if it is not honesty with yourself? \u201cFor everyone who does wicked things (lit., \u1f41 \u03c6\u03b1\u1fe6\u03bb\u03b1, that which is \u201ceasy,\u201d \u201cworthless,\u201d or \u201cvain\u201d) hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed\u201d (John 3:20). Therefore we make some time to reflect about our lives from the previous year. We ask searching questions like, \u201cHow did I get to this place in my life?\u201d \u201cWhere am I now?\u201d \u201cAm I where I should be?\u201d We engage in this process of self-examination with an aim to grow — to let go of the pain of the past and move forward. Confession (i.e., homologia<\/em>: \u1f41\u03bc\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u1f77\u03b1) means bringing yourself naked before the Divine Light to agree with the truth about who you are. Indeed, the related verb word “homologeo” (\u1f41\u03bc\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u1f73\u03c9) literally means \u201csaying the same thing\u201d – from \u1f41\u03bc\u03cc\u03c2 (same) and \u03bb\u1f79\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2 (word). We need to confess the truth if we are to be free from the pain of the past. When King David wrote, \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9 \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b8\u0591\u05d0 – \u201cThe LORD is my Light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1), he implied that he should even be free of fear of himself and of his past….<\/p>\n

\"\"…<\/span><\/p>\nhttps:\/\/hebrew4christians.com\/training\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/psalm27-1-jjp-2.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

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