Elul is the time when we begin to prepare ourselves for the deep moral and religious assessment that takes place on the High Holy Days. Elul is also a popular time for weddings. At many of those weddings, the rabbi will point out that an old tradition points out that the Hebrew letters of Elul can stand for the verse from the biblical book of Song of Songs (6:3), Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li — “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” The tradition is based on Rabbi Akiva’s interpretation of that book as the love poetry not just between a man and a woman but also between God and the People Israel. The point is that in preparing ourselves to engage with our Maker, we are coming closer to God. Rabbis at weddings, of course, will instead use the verse to refer to the couple being married.During the coming days and weeks as we prepare for the holidays, I encourage each of us to embrace this Jewish tradition and express our love for those we hold dearest in our lives.
Elliot N. Dorff is Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Judaism and President of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles.
