Rosh Chodesh Elul

By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER

The Prophet Haggai received his divine call “on the first day of the sixth month” – that is, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, observed today. Haggai was to convey to the People Israel that the time had come to begin construction of what we remember as “The Second Temple.”

Haggai sternly, indignantly, incredulously admonished Israel: “Is this a time for you to dwell in the comfort of your own, safe and well-appointed homes, while the House of the Lord lies in ruins?!” (1:1-4).

Haggai understood: there are times when inaction in the face of national crisis is a profound moral failing. Rosh Chodesh Elul, introducing the Season of Repentance, is an apt time for us to heed Haggai’s call to action:

Is this a time to leave the moral case for Israel unspoken, when Zionism and Zionists are under vicious daily attack?!

Is this a time to remain Jewishly unaffiliated or uninvolved, when Synagogues struggle to provide services, programming, and a spiritual home for fellow Jews?!

Is this a time to abide racism, xenophobia, and nativism, when antisemitism, too, is on the rise?

Is this a time to withhold simple human kindness and courtesy, when public discourse has grown so unrefined and partisan and tribal?!

Today is Rosh Chodesh Elul. It’s time to build a better tomorrow.

Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser is the editor of “Masorti: The New Journal of Conservative Judaism.” The latest edition of Masorti published in the summer of 2026 and honors the American Sestercentennial. A subscription is $18 per annum. Print copies are available from Ben Yehuda Press and Amazon.