Elul | Reform Judaism

The Stories We Tell

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin

September 8, 2022

In his 1966 novel, The Gates of the Forest, Elie Wiesel famously wrote, "God created [hu]man[s] because [God] loves stories." Indeed, each of our lives is a story that is told to the world. Our stories involve many characters, have plot twists, and offer lessons that teach something of the nature of life. Our life stories highlight what is important to us, what ideals guide us, and the significant experiences that have shaped who we are. Every life is a story. Telling that story helps us remember who we are.

Elul

Cheshbon HaNefesh and Accounting for our Social Media Usage

Rabbi Austin Zoot

August 31, 2022

It seems that the more time we spend with technology, the more we understand the benefit to our lives, and the ways our minds are warping to accommodate the new demands of digital dependency.

High Holidays

A Liberatory Elul Journey

Yolanda Savage-Narva

August 31, 2022

The month before the High Holidays, Elul, is a time of spiritual preparation and t'shuvah. This year, as we conclude a Shmita, or sabbatical year, after focusing on taking time to pause, rest and reflect, I feel a sense of urgency and the need to act.

Yom Kippur

Northeastern University’s Answer to Food Insecurity – A Community Fridge

Danny Stein

August 27, 2021

This Elul, what comes to mind as I think about my own growth and what empowers me towards religious action is the work of Northeastern University’s Community Fridge.

Person wearing a purple prayer shawl and holding a prayer book

Spirituality

The URJ Reflection Project: Go Deeper on “The Spiritual”

Rabbi Esther L. Lederman

Rabbi Leora Kaye

August 15, 2021

As part of the URJ Reflection Project, a new set of offerings and experiences for the High Holidays in a time of social distance, we’ve also developed three short essays that allow you to go deeper into the essence of Jewish wisdom that grounds these rituals.