Elul

In Elul we complete the yearly cycle - mending the heart before the Days of Awe, and preparing the land for a new cycle of commandments. A month of introspection, rectification, and spiritual renewal toward the coming year. The agricultural year also reaches its completion: the grape harvest is ending, the figs and dates are gathered, and the land begins to prepare for the early rains of Tishrei. The farmer reviews the year that has passed and the mitzvot he has fulfilled, and prepares for the new cycle. Elul is the bridge between the old year and the new - a time to complete what was not completed, to give what was not given, and to prepare the land and the heart for a new beginning.