#blogelul

[keshetchai]

I’m thinking about art journaling for elul but i’m wondering how to make the blog elul prompts more visual :o 

[better-latke-than-never]

Expressive Elul Writing Prompts

For anyone who wants to try and write a little this Elul, I jotted down some ideas. These are not in any order and are really just some things I threw together quickly in case people wanted to write but can’t get going on their own. A lot are slightly repetitive or cover the same content because I like approaching things from different angles. Feel free to add any good ones that you come up with!

What do you wish was different about yourself? When you imagine your own idealized version of yourself, what is different?

When was the last time that you did something that you were really proud of?

What does it mean to you to be called upon? How is it different to be held to a high standard by a parent, teacher, partner or Hashem?

What do you regret most from the past year? With this distance, what would you do differently?

What does forgiveness mean to you? What does it mean to forgive someone you love, or to ask for forgiveness from someone you love?

Are there people that you feel you need to ask forgiveness from? What is stopping you?

Are there people that you feel that you need to forgive? What is stopping you?

What role does procrastination play in your life? What role should it play?

What feeling is most acute right now? What currently brings you the most joy and the most pain?

What do you fear most right now? What would a bad year look like to you?

What are you hoping for this year? What would does your good and sweet new year look like?

Who or what do you feel distant from right now? What changes could you make to feel more connected?

What does it mean to you to be alienated from the Divine? Does it mean anything to you right now? What makes you feel closer to or farther from the Divine?

What does it mean to be grateful to have reached this season? What are you grateful to have experienced?

Update the poem Eishet Chayil so that it speaks to you personally? This can function either as inspiration or as a reflection of your current good deeds, so long as it feels relevant to you.

Have you inspired anyone this year? If someone you loved behaved like you, would you be proud?

Write a letter to your role model telling them what you respect about them and how they have made you a better person. You don’t need to send the letter to them, but you can if you feel comfortable with that.

How have you paid tribute to your loved ones? Are you satisfied with how you have honored them?

. What does it mean to ask for collective forgiveness in the Viduy? What does it mean to be responsible for each other?

Draw a large circle leaving room to write words inside and around the outside of the circle. Inside, write positive traits that you have, the moments when you acted right the first time and anything else that you are proud to take with you into the next year. Outside, write down things that you do that hold you back from being better, names of people who you would like to forgive, and other things that you would like to leave behind and not take into the new year.

Write a list of all of the pressing, negative feelings that you have. Write down grudges, fears and bad memories. Make sure to be clear and expressive. Now, burn it, tear it into pieces and throw it into a river, bury it or crumple it up and throw it away. Whatever will feel like letting it go.

Write an apology letter to someone you care for who has died or that you otherwise can’t apologize to. Consider bringing it to their grave or another place that reminds you of them, if possible.

What does it mean to apologize to Hashem? Why do we ask for Divine forgiveness?

Do you like thinking about Hashem as a Judge? As a Parent? What metaphor (if any) are you most comfortable with during the High Holy Days?

What does it mean to have a good year written? In what ways is your future affected by how good of a person you are?

Write a letter to Hashem. It can be an apology, thanks or anything else that you feel the need to share.

How comfortable are you with lying? Are your feelings and actions aligned?

Find a calm place and listen to the sounds around you. What do you hear? What does it mean to listen to yourself? To listen to the Shofar?

What does it mean to give tzedakah? How does charity/justice affect the way you like your life?

What does teshuva mean? What would you like to return to?

Write an apology to yourself, and then respond to it. Do you forgive yourself for the lack of trust? For speaking badly about yourself? How can you do better next year?

[progressivejudaism]

"See forgiveness as an active deed, rather than a passive one." -Adapted from Rabbi Harold Kushner #BlogElul #ElulGram #Forgiveness #Tshuva

[progressivejudaism]

As the month of Elul comes to a close and are almost upon Rosh Hashanah and the month of Tishre, how are you spiritually and mentally preparing yourself for the Days of Awe?

[better-latke-than-never]

4 Elul- Choose

What does it mean to you to be called upon? How is it different to be held to a high standard by a parent, teacher, partner or Hashem?

“I call today upon heaven and earth as witnesses for you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. And you shall choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

There are massive differences between being called upon by Hashem and being called upon by a parent or partner.

When my fiancé asks for something, he is asking as my equal. I am fully free to say yes or no, or to ask for clarification.

When my parents ask, while we are much closer to equals now than in the past, they are still not my equals. I will try my hardest to say yes, even if I don’t want to. But, I am still free to say no if I object to what is being asked of me, and I can still politely ask why something needs to be done now and can’t wait.

Commandments from Hashem are not at all like being asked for something from a parent or a partner. Hashem and I may be Partners in Creation, but I am not close to an equal partner. I cannot ask Hashem for clarification. Often I only have a vague sense of what exactly Hashem wants from me. While we have a corpus of knowledge about how one should live, the Way isn’t always clear and Hashem certainly doesn’t tell us what step to take next. Hashem also asks much more of us than a hot cup of coffee or a clean kitchen floor. Hashem asks for us to repair the world, to be holy, to be kind to the vulnerable. Those are not on my average Honey-Do list.

Yet, out of those massive tasks and minimal guidance, I find purpose. I have been “called” to pursue justice my whole life. I have been “called” to protect those in need. So, I have to trust that Hashem is calling me, that I am understanding the call correctly, and that I am strong enough to fulfill the task. Sometimes the reception is spotty, but all that I can do is keep listening, to myself and the world around me

[better-latke-than-never]

9 Elul- See

Waking up this morning, I didn't feel any different than I did yesterday morning. In this moment, I don't feel any monumental shift in my sense of self. My future looks more secure than it did yesterday. I feel more grounded. I can see the years of Jewish life stretching out in front of Elliot and I. I am more excited for our chuppah.

I am excited to think of becoming Jewish every year as I prepare for the High Holy days. I am excited that I get to enter this season jewish. Hashem willing, this will be one (important) milestone in a long, happy life.

[better-latke-than-never]

16 Elul- Pray

My semester started this week and it has been very early days. It ha also been extremely hard on my relationship. We are just getting used to communicating long distance and wedding planning is still and likely always will be stressful. With all of that, I was very worried that I would struggle to make room for praying or resent it. But, I’ve found, that the more of an integral part of my life it becomes, the easier it is to make time and the happier I am to be praying. I’m not saying that I always pray with true kavanah or that I don’t grumble when I have to get out of bed even earlier to fit it in. 

But for the time that I am praying, it gets to be only Hashem and I. I get to take that time and make it holy, make it separate, for Hashem and for myself. When I think about all the studying that I already have to do, I miss having Saturdays to study. But, then I think about how much of a gift it has been to be able to fully separate for 25 hours from the world of deadlines and rushing.

I am leaning into Jewish practice during this stressful time. Hashem is my Refuge. And right now, that is what teshuvah feels like to me.

[better-latke-than-never]

7 Elul- Understand

What does forgiveness mean to you? What does it mean to forgive someone you love, or to ask for forgiveness from someone you love? Forgiveness means letting go of the anger and the baggage. It means not bringing it up in future arguments or holding it against someone. I took an interpersonal communication class and got into several heated discussions during our forgiveness section, because sometimes forgiveness is portrayed as forgetting. “Forgive and forget” is a common phrase that overly simplifies a complicated matter. Forgiveness does not mean pretending that it never happened or sweeping it under the rug; true forgiveness involves understanding the harm done, healing and moving forward. To better understand forgiveness, I like to look at apologies. They are two sides of the same coin. A good apology has three parts in addition to regret: taking explicit responsibility, trying to make up for it however possible, and then not doing it again. My issue with the forgive and forget model is that, if we truly forget, we aren't enforcing the third part of the good apology. Like teshuvah to Hashem, you should ideally only apologize for the same thing once. You are meant to prove you are truly reformed by not doing the same bad thing again. This is why teshuvah is so hard. It is not an empty apology for not replying to a text; this should be an actual life change. It is not enough to want to be better and promise to be better. We must actually be better, for ourselves, for Hashem, and for the world. So, while I am taking stock of my current abilities, I am also trying to understand my abilities, so that I can pick manageable things to improve moving forward. In the next year, I am going to try to be more patient and to speak less lashon hara. I may not be perfect, but I will try very hard to be better, so that, b”H, I won't need to apologize for the same thing next year.