40 Days of Spiritual Metamorphosis
As summer fades into autumn, a sacred period arrives in the Jewish calendar that carries profound spiritual significance. We're all invited to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, repentance, and reconnection with the Divine during this time.
As summer fades into autumn, a sacred period arrives in the Jewish calendar that carries profound spiritual significance. All of humanity is invited to embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, repentance, and reconnection with the Divine during this time¹.
The month of Elul begins 40 days of repentance, offering a unique opportunity for introspection, growth, and renewal.
The 40 days will carry us through Rosh Hashanah, (the Jewish New Year), and into Yom Kippur (The day of atonement). In synagogues worldwide, the shofar blowing each morning during the month of Elul serves as a spiritual alarm clock, awakening the soul to self-examination and preparation for the upcoming Days of Awe².
On the first of Elul, we will allocate time daily to reflect on the past year's actions, relationships, and choices – successes and missteps. We will look at the goals we set at this time last year, and assess how well we adhered to them.
Looking forward, we will take note of key areas of opportunities, character traits we'll want to refine, and any bad habits that we've allowed to grow in the last year.
40 Days of Transformation
In Judaism, the number 40 signifies a period of transformation and renewal. We see this echoed throughout the Bible.
- 4o days and nights that Noah spent in the ark as the world was renewed
- 40 years the Israelites transitioned from Egypt to Israel
- Moses spent several periods of 40 days in preparation for receiving the Torah, and repenting for the nation
- Ezekiel's prophecy involved 40 days of lying on one side for Judah
- And many more examples can be found throughout the New Testament as well.
New and Renewed Creation
In nature, we see many parallels with this transformational dimension. Plants go from germination to harvest in a 40-day cycle. A newborn baby is born after 40 weeks of gestation. Accordingly, Jewish law considers a baby 'living' at 40 days.
I cannot help but think of the significance of the Hebrew letter Mem (מ), whose numerical value is 40. In Jewish tradition, Mem often represents the womb, is related to water, and also secrets in Kabbalah. All of these concepts are deeply connected to the transformational period of Elul.
Building on these, someone who ritually immerses in a mikveh becomes like a newborn, often called a 'new creation.' A mikveh requires a measurement of 40 Se'ahs [of water] to be considered kosher, reinforcing the significance of the number 40.
In various ancient healing modalities, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda³ - 40 days is often associated with a period of healing and rejuvenation.
When we group these concepts, it emerges that the 40 days represent a cosmic opportunity to heal, rejuvenate, and begin a spiritual pilgrimage toward a renewed connection with G_D and a deeper understanding of oneself.
Renewed Relationship
Song of Songs often leaves many modern readers puzzled about how this writing fits into the corpus of Scripture. Perhaps unread by many, the literal sense of the writing seems out of alignment with other books of the Bible.
According to Rabbinic tradition, however, Song of Songs was included in the canon precisely for its hidden meaning. The writings, on the Midrashic and Sod (Mystical) dimension, represent the inner dimensions of the relationship between the Creator and Israel. The great Rabbi Akiva even went as far as to call Song of Songs the 'Holy of Holies' of scripture⁴.
This movement back to the Creator is encoded within a key passage of Song of Songs⁵:
We're told:
There is a hint in the verse “I am my Beloved's and my Beloved's is mine” (Ani L’Dodi v’Dodi Li - Song of Songs) that the first letters spell Elul and the last letters have a numerical value of 40. This alludes to the forty days from the beginning of Elul until Yom Kippur for during these forty days repentance is [more readily] accepted so a person should bring their heart near to their Beloved [G-d] with repentance, and then the Beloved will be close to them to accept the repentance with love. - Mishnah Berurah 581
This passage captures the essence of this period. Where we normally have to exert effort to connect with the Creator, during the 40 days, He has made Himself more available.
The Chasidic masters teach that most of the year, G_D can be found in the inner recesses of His Kingdom, but during the 40 days, "the King is in the field," so to speak. This indicates that the Creator has made this period of time optimal for repentance and renewal.
Personal Transformation and Spiritual Growth
The 40 days of repentance are not solely about remorse and regret.
The Baal Shem Tov once visited a community where the people were reciting the prayers of penitence in a state of joy!
He asked, "Please tell me why you are full of joy; don't most people recite these prayers with sadness and weeping?"
To this, they replied; "When a person is cleaning his home in preparation for the imminent visit of the King, how could we not rejoice?"⁶
Instead, we should view this period as a call to personal transformation and spiritual growth. Naturally, this includes a process of self-examination, combined with sincere acts of repentance. These enable us to cultivate humility, gratitude, and a deeper connection with the Creator.
The steps of repentance look like this:
- Abandon the sin
- Genuinely Regret [the Sin]
- Confess and Make Amends
• Make amends by asking for forgiveness from those we hurt
• If possible, make restitution for the loss you caused - Accept forgiveness from Above, and move forward
With diligence, the commitment to change, and the willingness to embrace vulnerability, we will pave the way for a more meaningful and intentional life on the other side of this month of mercy.
Notes:
¹ https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/is-rosh-hashanah-for-everyone/
² Days of Awe: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-days-of-awe-asseret-yimei-t-shuva
³ The traditional Indian system of medicine
⁴ “The greatest day was the one on which Israel received the Song of Songs. The entire universe is unworthy of the day that the Song of Songs was given to Israel. All the writing in Scriptures are Holy but the Song of songs is the Holy of Holies" - Yadaim 3,5
⁵ Song of Songs 6:3
⁶ "The Month of Elul." Rav Dovber Pinson. Page 32
