KA CC Archive Aug 2024

Just last week, we celebrated Tu B’Av, the Jewish day of love.  In ancient Israel, women would wear white dresses and run out to the fields to find partners.  In modern Israel, couples purchase flowers and chocolates for each other.  Some say that this day was added to the calendar, just a week after Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year, to lift us up.  On Tu B’Av this year, people who have lost their beloved on October 7th or are waiting for their partners to come home, posted messages online - remembering the holiday they shared and declaring their never-ending love.

This week, we will begin the month of Elul, the last month before Rosh Hashanah.  Some say that the name for this month, אלול, is an acronym for “אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי”, Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li, Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) 6:3.  It means “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”  The beloved we are speaking of here, of course, is God.

Elul is considered a month of love, finding our way back to God, seeking to repair the spiritual tears caused by mistakes and transgressions in the past year.  During the month of Elul, we search our souls and reach out to God, hoping to bring ourselves closer, saying to ourselves, “I am my beloved’s.” God responds saying “My beloved is mine” or “for me,” showing a loving partnership between our human self and the divine.

Sometimes, however, it is hard to hear that response, to know where it is coming from.  Just like the declarations on Tu B’Av in Israel, we know that we still carry that love and that God carries love for each of us, even if we are unsure when or where or how the response will come. God continues to love us, and we continue to reach for God.

I look forward to exploring this idea of love throughout our High Holy Day season and how it is such a central part of everything we do in Judaism.