אלול
Rosh Chodesh Elul
♍ Virgo (Betulah / בתולה) · Late Summer · Tribe of Gad · August–September
Two-Day Rosh Chodesh · 5786
Begins at sunset
Wednesday evening, August 12, 2026
Sunset in New York: 7:57 PM
ends sunset on Friday, August 14, 2026
Molad
Thursday, 8 hours, 15 minutes and 0 chalakim
1 chelek = 3⅓ seconds · 18 chalakim = 1 minute · 1,080 chalakim = 1 hour
Elul (אלול) · 30 days · ♍ Virgo (Betulah / בתולה)
Holidays
Selichot (penitential prayers before Rosh Hashanah)
Torah Reading
Rosh Chodesh: Numbers 28:1–15. Weekly Torah portions during Elul come from Deuteronomy.
Hebrew Year
5786
About
The Month of Elul
Elul is the month of repentance and preparation for the High Holidays. Its letters (אלול) form the acronym "Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li" — "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine" (Song of Songs 6:3), describing the intimate relationship between God and Israel. The shofar is blown every weekday morning throughout Elul to awaken the soul to teshuvah.
Significance
Rosh Chodesh Elul
Rosh Chodesh Elul marks the beginning of the 40-day period of repentance culminating in Yom Kippur. According to tradition, Moses ascended Mount Sinai for the third time on Rosh Chodesh Elul to receive the second set of Tablets — a sign that God had forgiven the sin of the Golden Calf. The shofar was blown in the camp below, and ever since, the shofar is sounded throughout Elul.
Spiritual Themes
Themes of Elul
Elul teaches that teshuvah (return) is always possible. The Kabbalists describe Elul as a time when "the King is in the field" — God is accessible to all, not just in the palace (the Temple). Every person can approach and be received with a welcoming countenance.
♍
Mazal
Virgo (Betulah / בתולה)
Tribe
Gad
Season
Late Summer
Observances
Customs of Elul
- •Blowing the shofar every morning (except Shabbat and Erev Rosh Hashanah)
- •Reciting Psalm 27 twice daily
- •Selichot: penitential prayers in the pre-dawn hours (Sephardim from Rosh Chodesh Elul; Ashkenazim from the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah)
- •Visiting graves of the righteous
- •Checking mezuzot and tefillin
History
Historical Events in Elul
- •Moses ascended Sinai for the third time (1 Elul)
- •The spies were sent to scout the Land of Israel
Upcoming
