A Mordecai Memo by Myles Weiss
The month of Elul is now underway. It is a very significant season! The forty days of “Teshuvah”, reflection and repentance are now in place. Observant Jews recognize these 40 days as the precursor to the Days of Awe – the ten sacred days between Trumpets and Atonement. Several traditions of the Elul season are relevant to us as Messianic believers and “grafted in” Christians. First, the Shofar is blown every morning, except on Shabbat.
What a powerful acknowledgment of the coming Fall Feasts, with their view to Messiah, the King of Israel! Welcoming the King is the theme, hence our introspection and reverence.
On Rosh Hashanah, the shofar will sound 100 times! This outpouring looks back to the creation of the world, to the ram caught in the thicket of the Abraham/Isaac story, and forward to the coronation of the King of Kings!
Also during this season, Psalm 27 is read every day. This beautiful Psalm rehearses the faithfulness of God and reminds believers to wait upon Him.
One last note, and my favorite.
The very name of the month, ELUL | אלול, forms an acronym for “Ani L’Dodi v’Dodi Li” (I am my beloved’s and He is mine). This timeless phrase from the Song of Songs is a homage to King Yeshua, the Bridegroom of Heaven. So, even during this season of repentance, God is looking at us through the eyes of His son. We are beloved of Him and it is a bridal call! No wonder certain Rabbis have said over the centuries, that during the season of Teshuvah, the King has left the palace, and is smiling in the harvest field…
Let’s look for Him!