1st of Elul - New
Year for Tithing Animals
- Rosh Hashanah 7B
A time to blow the shofar!
The four letters of
the name Elul are an acronym for the phrase in
Song of Songs 6:3
“I am to my
beloved and my beloved is to me.”
It is called “the month of repentance,” “the month of mercy” and “the month of forgiveness.” Elul follows the two previous months of Tammuz and Av— (in the Jewish calendar) the twelfth month of the civil and sixth of the religious year, usually coinciding with parts of August and September.
http://www.chabad.org/thejewishwoman/roshchodesh_cdo/aid/2263461/jewish/Elul.htm
Graphic from the following - see for more insight:
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Elul/elul.html
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Elul/elul.html
The origins of Elul as
a month of special Divine grace and mercy go back to the time of Moses.
Seven weeks after the
exodus, the people of Israel received the Torah at Mount Sinai and entered into
an eternal covenant with G‑d as His chosen people. But just 40 days later, while Moses was still
up on the mountain, they violated their special relationship with G‑d by worshipping a golden calf. Upon
descending from the mountain and witnessing their transgression, Moses smashed
the two stone tablets on which G‑d had inscribed the Ten Commandments; he then retuned to Mount Sinai
for a second 40 days to plead with G‑d on Israel's behalf.
On the early morning of
the 1st of Elul, Moses once again ascended Mount Sinai, taking with him the
stone tablets he had hewn, by divine command, for G‑d to re-inscribe the Ten Commandments. On the
mountain, G‑d allowed
Moses to "see My back, but not My face" (which Maimonides interprets
as a perception of G‑d's reality but not His essence) -- the closest any human being ever
came to knowing G‑d -- and taught him the secret of His "Thirteen Attributes of
Mercy" (Exodus 33:18-34:8).
For the third time,
Moses remained on the mountain for 40 days, from the 1st of Elul until the 10th
of Tishrei (Yom Kippur), during which time He obtained G‑d's whole-hearted forgiveness and
reconciliation with the people of Israel. Ever since, the month of Elul serves
as the "month of Divine mercy and forgiveness."
The Four Jewish New Years
- 1st of Nisan - first month of the Hebrew calendar
- 1st of Elul - new year for animal tithes (month 6)
- 1st of Tishrei, aka Rosh Hashanah (month 7) (start of the civil year in Israel)
- 15th of Shvat, aka Tu B'Shvat - the new year for trees (month 11)
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
More on Song of Solomon:
A beautiful, hope-filled song - Mountain Faith "It Could Happen in a Moment"
Thanks for journeying along with me
as we learn more of God's word and build our faith!
Maranatha! Blessings to you, Tammy
No comments:
Post a Comment