I updated this article, honing it down to 8 ways to strengthen your commitment:
How to Strengthen Your Commitment to Judaism
The rest of this post is about the Jewish month of Elul, as it relates to The Chazak Plan: A 12 Month Journey to Spiritual Strength.
Rosh Chodesh Elul begins Shabbos, Friday night, the 10th of August and lasts for two days.
Elul is the time of year we take stock of our lives and prepare for the High Holidays. Most of us have at least one area in which we struggle; perhaps it is being ethical in business, being moral, being charitable and kind, refraining from hurting others, or some other area. Correcting our key flaw(s) is a major part of our life’s mission and why God put us in this world.
Pick one area on which to focus and choose a manageable change you will make on a daily or weekly basis; you can input this change into your calendar or checklist. If possible, speak to your rabbi or spiritual mentor for guidance. The focus on repentance continues into next month until after Yom Kippur.
As the High Holidays involve reciting many prayers, for suggestions on how to enhance your prayers, see, “How to Unlock the Hidden Power of Prayer.”
Questions for the month:
“Which area do I struggle with that I’m motivated to address this Elul?”
“What is a manageable commitment I will make?
“Is it clear to me what area to focus on and how to repent (if necessary)? If it is not clear, who can I speak to for guidance?”
Take care and may God grant us success in the coming month,
Yaakov
No comments:
Post a Comment