We’ve made it through the dog days of summer which actually have nothing to do with real dogs but with the star Sirius. This star aligns with the sun for 40 days  from about mid-July to mid-August, usually the hottest part of the summer.

Now we are in the Hebrew month of Elul which means we are on a fast roll toward the High Holidays.

Elul, as a precursor to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is meant to prepare us for the majesty, intensity and obligation of the holidays.  The shofar is sounded; we recite Psalm 27 twice a day; and begin the work of looking inward and making amends.

The custom of reciting this psalm is relatively new. The practice was begun  around 1745 and continues to this day. The shofar is blown everyday but Shabbat.

The words and concepts of this Psalm of David clearly show the pleas of a man, a warrior king with many enemies, for God’s protection. God is the ultimate protector, more steadfast than even one’s own family.

Of course, David was far from perfect. While many identify with the David of the Goliath story, David the adult was a fierce warrior, an adulterer with blood on his hands, and not the paragon of virtual we learn about in children’s Bible stories.

The Psalm’s words are all the more powerful in light of the “real” David, for no one is without flaws but we all have the chance to make amends for missing the mark of following God’s wishes.

The Psalm itself is intricate. The tetragram, the unpronounceable four letter name of God, appears thirteen times, as many times as there are attributes of God.

In addition, the letters in the word Elul — Aleph, Lamed, Vav, Lamed — form an acronym for more than one appropriate phrase from liturgy. For more on this,  go to https://www.irwinkeller.com/itzikswell/2021/8/8/the-acronyms-of-elul.

Below are listed some books related to Elul, Psalm 27, and preparation for the new year. Books marks with an * are also available in the BCCLS library system.

*Agnon, S.Y. Days of Awe: a treasury of Jewish wisdom for reflection, repentance, and renewal on the High Holy Days.

*Albom, Mitch. Have a Little Faith.

*Brown, Erica. Return: daily inspiration for the Days of Awe.

*Elkins, Dov Peretz.  Rosh Hashanah Readings: inspiration, information and contemplation.

Hammer, Jill. The Jewish Book of Days: a companion for all seasons.

*Hammer, Reuven. Entering the High Holidays: a compete guide to the history, prayers, themes.

*Hurwitz, Sarah. Here all Along:Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life–in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There)

*Kushner, Harold. How Good Do We Have to Be: a new understanding of guilt and forgiveness.

*Lew, Alan. This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation

*Ruttenberg, Danya. On Repentance and Repair: making amends in an unapologetic world.

*Robbins, Debra J. Opening Your Heart with Psalm 27: a spiritual practice for the Jewish New Year.

*Sacks, Jonathan. To Heal a Fractured World: the ethics of responsibility.