THE DAY BEFORE ROSH CHODESH ELUL
Fasting and prayer: Some have the custom to fast on the day before Rosh Chodesh Elul, and do a Yom Kippur Katan (minor day of atonement) in order to prepare for repenting. If Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat, they fast on the preceding Thursday.
Graves of the tzaddikim (righteous): Some have the custom to pray on the day before Rosh Chodesh Elul in the cemetery next to the graves of the tzaddikim. We are careful not to direct our prayers towards the tzaddik, rather we pray to Hashem that He should hear our prayers in the merit of the tzaddik, or we pray next to the grave, and also request from the tzaddik to pray for us.
ANNULLMENT OF VOWS
Sepharadim and some Ashkenazim customarily annul their vows on the day before Rosh Chodesh Elul, which is forty days before Yom Kippur. This is because somebody who vows and doesn’t fulfill his vow is placed in niddui, and the prayers of somebody in niddui aren’t heard until forty days after the niddui was pardoned. It is therefore a custom to annul vows on the nineteenth of Av, which is forty days before Rosh Hashanah, and also on the day before Rosh Hashanah and the day before Yom Kippur. The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch wrote that the custom is to annul on the day before Rosh Hashanah only.
CUSTOMS OF THE MONTH OF ELUL
Days of goodwill: The forty days from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur are specially suited to repentance, more than the rest of the year, since they are days of Heaven’s mercy and goodwill. Even though all year round the Holy One, blessed be He, accepts His children who repent, nevertheless these days are better suited than others. This is because Moses went up Mount Sinai on Rosh Chodesh Elul in order to receive the second set of tablets, and receiving the tablets was a clear sign that Hashem accepted Israel’s repentance and forgave them for the sin of the golden calf. Moses prayed for forty days on the mountain, requesting that Hashem pardon the nation of Israel. On Yom Kippur Hashem told him, “I forgave them as you requested,” and gave him the second set of tablets. These days have been ever since days of Heavenly goodwill, and the tenth of Tishrei (Yom Kippur) became the day of pardoning and forgiving the nation of Israel.
S’lichot (Penitential prayers) and Shofar: It is the custom of the Sepharadim to start saying S’lichot from the second of Elul until Yom Kippur. Ashkenazim start before Rosh Hashanah.
At the time when we say S’lichot, some Sepharadim customarily blow the shofar (ram’s horn) — T’kiah, Sh’varim, T’ruah, T’kiah — when saying the thirteen qualities of mercy. Some have the custom to blow in the Kaddish before Tei’anu v’tei’at’ru, and some do not blow at all.
The Ashkenazim customarily blow the shofar from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur. It is blown after Shacharit (morning prayers), before saying L’david… ori v’yish’i. Some start blowing from the first day of Rosh Chodesh, and some from the second. If they did not hear it in the morning, they should hear it at night in Arvit (evening services). According to all opinions and customs, we do not blow on the day before Rosh Hashanah at all.
We blow the shofar during this month in order to arouse the people to repentance.
L’david Hashem: The Ashkenazim start saying Psalm 27, L’david Hashem Ori V’yish’i, from Rosh Chodesh Elul and on. Some say it at Shacharit only, some say it also at Minchah and others also at Arvit. Those who follow the Gr”a don’t say it. It is worthwhile for those who do not say this Psalm to choose other Psalms to say. The Sepharadim say this Psalm after Shacharit all year round.
Charity: “Charity rescues from death.” Charity can certainly save one from many other bad things as well, therefore it is good to always give charity, and especially in the month of Elul.
T’hillim (Psalms): Some have the custom to say T’hillim together with the congregation or individually during these days, since the T’hillim have the power to fill a person’s heart with love of Hashem and fear of Heaven. The custom is to say ten T’hillim every day, so that a person can say the entire T’hillim twice before Rosh Hashanah, which is also the Gematria (numerical value) of the word כפר (atone).
Tikkunim: It is the custom of the wise men of Jerusalem to learn the Tikkunei Zohar every day, as much as possible. The main goal is to begin on Rosh Chodesh Elul and to finish all seventy Tikkunim on Yom Kippur. Some have the custom to finish the Tikkunim according to the monthly divisions that are printed in the books, but that division is not obligatory.
Greeting cards: Some have the custom to send greeting cards during the month of Elul, wishing one’s friends and relatives that they be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life. Some add this blessing in every letter that they write during these days. The purpose behind this is to ingrain in our hearts the quality of praying for the betterment of others, and not just ourselves, and to augment love, brotherhood, peace and friendship.
T’fillin (phylacteries) and M’zuzot: Pious people have their t’fillin and their m’zuzot checked during this month, to fix any faults in them.
Reckoning of one’s deeds (cheshbon hanefesh): It is appropriate from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur to reckon one’s deeds every night before going to sleep. In this reckoning, a person examines one’s ways and deeds, to evaluate whether they are good or not. If his deeds are good, then he should consider how to improve them. If they aren’t good — then he should abandon them entirely, confess, and return to Hashem. The truth is, that a person should do so every night all year round, like the tzaddikim (righteous) who are called “masters of reckoning,” and at least try to do so during these forty days.
Fasts: Many have the custom to fast during the ten days of repentance. Some have the custom to fast ten days. Since one is permitted to fast on only six out of the ten days of repentance, (for it is forbidden to fast on the two days of Rosh Hashanah, on Shabbat, and on the day before Yom Kippur), therefore they fast four days during the period before Rosh Hashanah. One may fast on any day of the week except Friday, but it is best to fast on Mondays and Thursdays.
It is proper to fast on the day before Rosh Hashanah.
On these fasts, if one must partake in a meal honoring a mitzvah, one may eat on that day and fast the next day in its stead. Similarly, if one knows that one will partake in a meal honoring a mitzvah, one may fast the preceding day in its stead.
These fasts are not obligatory; if by fasting one will learn less Torah, it is preferable to learn more Torah and not fast. Similarly, somebody weak should not fast, in order to be able to fast on Tzom G’dalyah and Yom Kippur.
Someone who wants to fast a private fast must accept it upon himself at Minchah on the day preceding the fast, at the end of the Amidah, before the second Yihyu l’ratzon. It is good to follow the language that is printed in the siddur (prayer book). If one forgot to accept the fast upon one’s self, one can accept it upon one’s self later, even during twilight, as long as one has not prayed Arvit yet. Some authorities say that if a person regularly fasts during the ten days of repentance, he doesn’t need to accept the fast at Minchah on the preceding day.
S’lichot
Time: The custom of the Sepharadim is to say S’lichot from the night of the second of Elul until Yom Kippur, because those are days of Heavenly goodwill. The Ari״zal used to say the S’lichot together with the congregation, word by word, starting from Rosh Chodesh Elul.
We do not say S’lichot on Rosh Chodesh Elul, Shabbat, and Rosh Hashanah.
The Ashkenazic custom is to say S’lichot starting from the Motza’ei Shabbat (Saturday night) preceding Rosh Hashanah. If Rosh Hashanah falls on Monday or Tuesday, the Ashkenazim start saying S’lichot from the Motza’ei Shabbat the week before Rosh Hashanah, in order to say S’lichot at least four days before Rosh Hashanah. The aim of this is to say S’lichot at least ten days — four before Rosh Hashanah, and six during the ten days of repentance.
Morning blessings (Birkot hashachar): Someone who arises before dawn in order to say S’lichot washes his hands and says the blessing Al n’tilat yadayim. He says the morning blessings, Birkat Hatorah, and then says S’lichot. If he gets up a half hour before dawn, he should say Tikkun Chatzot after all of those blessings, and subsequently says S’lichot.
Someone who woke up and washed his hands before dawn must wash his hands again after dawn (without a blessing), because of the ru’ach ra’a (evil spirit) that can be removed after dawn only. However, if he was busy the whole time with S’lichot or learning Torah it is unnecessary to wash again, although if he does wash again (without a blessing) he will be blessed.
Some say S’lichot or Tikkun Chatzot after the middle of the night, and then go to sleep. In this case it is customary to wash their hands only once, in the morning when they awaken and bless Al n’tilat yadayim along with the other morning blessings and Birkat Hatorah. However, if they blessed the morning blessings (excepting Birkat Hatorah) after the middle of the night before sleeping, then they should not bless them again in the morning. They should wash their hands without the blessing of Al n’tilat yadayim and say only Birkat Hatorah.
Chazzan (prayer leader): They should be careful to choose a chazzan who is proper, as great in Torah and good deeds as is possible to find. It is appropriate that he be at least thirty years old, because then his heart has been humbled. It is also worthwhile that he should be married with children, since then he’ll pour out his heart in prayer and will supplicate with his whole heart. It is good to choose a chazzan who is a ben Torah (learns and acts in accordance with the Torah) even if he isn’t thirty years old etc. over someone who has those qualities but isn’t a ben Torah. Anyone who appoints an inappropriate chazzan is as though he is stealing from the congregation something good that they deserve. However, any Jew may be chazzan.
Someone who knows that he is not very familiar with the prayers should not volunteer to be chazzan for the S’lichot, unless the congregation pressures him very much.
A person who is worthy of being chazzan who sees that his going up to be chazzan causes strife, should not go up to be chazzan, even if this means that someone inappropriate will go up.
A person who is in the first month or (in case of a parent’s passing) twelve months of mourning may be a chazzan for the S’lichot and High Holidays. According to the Mishnah B’rurah, he may be chazzan if and only if there is nobody else as qualified as he.