A month of prayers
During the Jewish month of Elul, many Jews wake up before dawn to recite special prayers called Selichot (סְלִיחוֹת- means “forgivenesses”). They express their regret for committing all varieties of misdeeds over the last year. This prayer contains a special list of sins and transgressions that have been written down in alphabetical order (aleph, bet, gimmel, and so on) to help jog the memory. The purpose of Selichot is to change our behavior in the coming year.
The alphabet of forgiveness
After stating their sins in alphabetical order, they proceed with a praise to God – again in alphabetical order! One of the most famous Elul hymns is called Adon HaSelichot (the Master of Pardons). It contains 22 different attributes of God from aleph through tav (A-Z)
Here is the first stanza:
אֲדוֹן הַסְּלִיחוֹת - א (Adon HaSelichot) “Master of pardons”
בּוֹחֵן לְבָבוֹת - ב (Bohen Levavot) “Examines hearts”
גּוֹלֶה עֲמוּקוֹת - ג (Goleh Amukot) “Uncovers depths”
דּוֹבֵר צְדָקוֹת - ד (Dover Tzedakot) “Utters justices”
Study the language of true forgiveness
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). This vital lesson is the essence of a functional society. But, in actuality, these words were not recited by Jesus in English. They were stated in Hebrew.
If you want to gain access to the true forgiveness promised in Scripture, learning to read the Bible in Hebrew is the surest path. Enroll in our live online biblical Hebrew course today.
