The month of Elul is synonymous with teshuva. With the approach of Rosh Hashana, the Day of Judgement, the pathway of teshuva becomes the focus and needs dealing with in earnest. The blowing of the shofar each morning reminds us to stay focused and remember we are holding in the month of Elul. The question very often is what to do about it? We find ourselves in a rut with life continuing on as usual. How can we get ourselves aroused to the point of actually changing our lives, powered by the engine and need for teshuva? We therefore come onto suggesting: Practical advice for Elul and Teshuva.
The first stage must be willingness on behalf of the person to open themselves to teshuva that will require changes on their part. No more sitting back and let life just pass by. The next thing is awareness – observing your life as an outsider. Analysing your every day actions closely and critically. Did i really need to it? If it is something bad, then what can i do to avoid it reoccurring and if it is good then could it have been done better? This self introspection must be carried out daily, preferably at meal times (when a person has some time to think as they eat).
Having done this, a person at least now knows where he is currently holding and what improvements need doing. The next stage is how to implement changes. This is the dangerous part where many people fall. The rule is to only make small changes gradually. Large changes or even small ones if done too quickly are risky. This is because if the goals set are too high the result usually is despair and dejection that can lead a person not only to revert back to his previous actions but even not bother with the previous good actions that he was still doing before! Ideally, the course and pathway for each person has to be mapped out individually – preferably with a Rabbi or respected mentor. Perhaps i shall add more general guidelines in future posts.