Reflections in the Final Days of Elul
Rabbi Robert Schreibman in conversation with Leslie Landman
As Rabbi Schreibman will soon mark his 90th birthday, I had the honor of sitting down with him to discuss his extraordinary Jewish journey. Following are some thoughts he shared related to the month of Elul. Our November/December Covenant will include a full article on Rabbi Schreibman’s reflections at 90.
In these final days of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year, we find ourselves in the heart of a season of reflection and preparation as the High Holy Days draw near. It is a time for forgiveness, repair, and new beginnings.
Most traditions invite self-examination, a time to pause, take stock, and ask what truly matters. In Hebrew, we call this cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul. Elul gives us that moment to consider: what has gone wrong in the world around us, and what part do I have in making it right?
This is a profoundly Jewish question. It asks us to look outward and inward at the same time.
On a global level, when injustice lingers, cruelty festers, or indifference numbs us to suffering, Elul calls on us not to look away. It asks us to consider how we will bring compassion, healing, and fairness into the year ahead. The challenges can feel overwhelming, almost as if the world itself is spinning out of control—but we are not powerless. Empathy is the most essential human quality and a crucial tool that helps us truly see the pain of others, to feel it, and to understand it. Paired with thoughtful action, empathy allows us to begin repairing what is broken.
On a personal level, Jewish tradition surrounds us with a wealth of wisdom—texts, rituals, and practices that can guide us toward awareness and intention. Each year, choose just one new practice and make it part of your life. It doesn’t need to be grand. It could be reading a Jewish book, lighting Shabbat candles, pausing to say a blessing when you see a rainbow, or reaching out to someone who feels alone. Small acts, repeated over time, change how we experience the world. They help us cultivate empathy, strengthen understanding, deepen identity, and turn our intentions into action, repairing what is broken both within ourselves and in the lives of those around us.
Each of us carries a spark of the divine. Elul is the time to nurture that spark, giving it fuel through ritual, learning, and acts of kindness. Paying attention to that inner light awakens our ability to heal ourselves and the world around us.
Elul is, at its heart, about possibility: the possibility of a better self, a better world, and a more compassionate humanity.
May these final days of the month help each of us listen more deeply to the spark within, and may the year ahead be one of renewal, growth, and peace.
With loving wishes from Rabbi Schreibman and Patti for a Shabbat Shalom, and a New Year filled with joy, meaning, and fulfillment.