Elul. The word itself feels like a soft knock on the heart.
There’s a shift in the air. Maybe it’s the sudden drop from 99 degrees to “Did someone just turn on the Sukkos weather??”
Maybe it’s the sound of shofar, like a cry from somewhere deep inside.
Elul is layered. It’s soft and strong all at once.
It used to scare me, honestly. Teshuvah felt heavy, like a courtroom drama and I was the nervous defendant. I wanted to be better, to deserve a good year. I’d make lists and promises and then feel terrible when I slipped up.
But then I learned that teshuvah can come from ahavah, from love. That when you love someone so deeply, you’ll do anything to come close again.
That Hashem isn’t waiting with a gavel; He’s waiting with open arms.
In Elul, Hashem steps out of the palace. He leaves the layers of formality and protocol and walks straight into the field… our field. He’s looking for us. Not the perfect, polished version, just us. Sweaty, dusty, real. He just wants to connect.
🌸 Finding the Nekudah
Reb Yussie Zakutinsky said something that shook me:
The yetzer hara’s greatest trick is making us believe that teshuvah is too hard.
He whispers: “It’s too late for you. You’re too stuck. You’ll never really change.”
But he’s the fool. Because inside every Jew is a nekudah, a spark that can never be destroyed. Once you touch that point, you’re tapped in. Lit up. Awake. How do you know you’ve touched it?
When your humility grows… and your ahavas Yisrael deepens. That’s the sign.
👑 Ker a Velt | Turn the World Over
The Rebbe once said, “Ker a velt, turn over the world.”
Not with fury or fire, but with light. With truth. With love.
Because let’s be honest, this world can feel upside down.
The pure-hearted are mocked, and the loudest voices aren’t always the wisest. But our job? Is to turn it right-side up. To see the good. To be the good.
To bring Hashem’s Malchus, his Kingship down into this messy, noisy, beautiful world. Dirah Bitachtonim. That’s Elul. That’s why we’re here.
🎂 Chai Elul – The Birthday of Light
Elul holds a secret: the birthday of two giants, the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe.
Chai Elul, the 18th. Life itself.
These neshamos didn’t just teach us Torah, they brought us back to life.
They reminded us that Hashem is not a scary Judge waiting to catch us. He is a loving Father, a close King, a compassionate Creator who delights in every small move we make toward Him.
Rebbe Nachman says that the day you were born is the day Hashem decided the world couldn’t go on without you.
So what does it say about these Tzadikim? That Hashem knew we’d need them… especially now. Their teachings are our map back to joy, connection, and hope.
📿 Teshuvah. Tefillah. Tzedakah.
The holy trio of Elul.
Teshuvah – A return to who you truly are.
Tefillah – A sacred conversation with the Divine.
Tzedakah – A reminder that we are all connected.
With these, we don’t just prepare for a new year.
We become new people.
So here’s to Elul.
To journaling in the sunlight.
To spotting the Melech in the field.
To softening our hearts.
To flipping the world over, one mitzvah, one breath, one act of kindness at a time.
We’ve got this.
~ Faigy
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 51.