The season of Teshuvah begins on the first day of the Hebrew month Elul.
Teshuvah is a 40 day period that runs through the holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Teshuvah is the Hebrew word for repent.
The call of Teshuvah is to turn back towards God and repent. As Christians, we should return to Jesus.
The point of the season for Judaism is to prepare for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.
Elul is the last month of the civic calendar in Judaism. Elul is the sixth month of the religious calendar.
Jewish tradition points to the name of the month to be an acronym of “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” a quote from Song of Songs 6:3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…
The month is mentioned one time in the Bible.
In Aramaic, the vernacular of the Jewish people at the time that the month names were adopted, the word Elul means “search”.
Per Strong’s Concordance, Elul means “nothingness” in the Hebrew.
Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.
Cultural customs per http://www.jewfaq.org, http://www.myjewishlearning.com
~
On our western Gregorian calendar in the year 2026, Elul begins at sunset on Wednesday, August 12 as calculated by 21st century time keeping.
The traditional, secular Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar. These folks are waiting on the sighting of the new moon to determine the start of the month.
The Essenes followed a solar calendar. A solar calendar has a leap week as compared to a leap month with a lunar calendar.
On the Essene calendar, Elul 1st will take place on Sunday, August 16th, 2026. It is the year 5951 AM. In other words, 5,951 years since creation.
https://dsscalendar.org/DSS-Greg.php?Y=2026
Jewish time keepers cannot agree.
~
It is Jewish custom to blow a shofar (ram’s horn) one time every day during the season of Teshuvah. The trumpet is blown every day except Shabbat or the Sabbath (Saturday for us in western culture) and the last day of month of Elul. The trumpet is blown after the morning service. The shofar is blown frequently…
~
Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years…”
The Hebrew word for “signs” is ‘owth. It means: sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning; token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof.
From the beginning, God stated the sun, moon, and stars are points of communication.
Ancient myth? Or is God trying to get our attention. He knows the end from the beginning.
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.
This year, during Teshuvah, the world will be treated to solar and lunar eclipses.
Ancient Jewish rabbis have taught the moon represents Israel. The sun represents the gentile nations. The location of the celestial event is a warning to the geography impacted. Pay Heed!
On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will occur over eastern Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a very small corner of northeast Portugal.
The link below from NASA provides animations of the solar eclipse.
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5656
Of curiosity and note, news has broken over the weekend regarding Greenland.
The graphic above was made in December 2018.
Image: https://geoexpro.com/hydrocarbon-potential-of-the-jameson-land-basin/
Greenland issues ‘strong warning’ as Trump-linked oil firm prepares to drill
Island’s government says no approval given after Greenland Energy brings kit ashore for exploratory drilling
Greenland’s government issued a “strong warning” that no approval had been granted to land the kit. “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out,” the government said in a statement.
Two days later…
The picture was provided by a post on Truth Social by President Trump himself.
~
On Friday, August 28, 2026, UTC time, a 96.2% partial lunar eclipse will occur over North and South America, parts of Europe, and Africa.
Timing for the event in North America will occur on Thursday night, August 27, 2026.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2026-august-28
~
