Here’s a list of prayers for the month of Elul divided into categories: breaking free, living in holiness, time and confession. Here are additional links to prayers for Rosh Hashana, another one of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. Here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.
Breaking Free
Three meditations that ask why we stay chained to our sorrows, then challenge us to see life as a sacred journey:
- For Healing the Spirit – Why do we waste our days in grief and despair?
- For Sharing Divine Gifts – To live compassion, use your gifts in service to others.
- Forgiveness Inside – To find a deep sense of forgiveness.
- Regarding Old Wounds – Take your most crushing losses and turn them into a deep well of strength and love.
Living in Holiness
These prayers examine the art of living a life of holiness, focusing on attributes (grace, humility) and practices (listening for G-d’s voice, doing G-d’s will):
- Is This the Fast? – An introspection based on Isaiah 58:6-7.
- For Grace – A meditation about living a life of grace by offering grace to others.
- For Humility – For living a life of humility in service to G-d, ourselves and others.
- To Do Your Will – To ask for the guidance to do G-d’s will in humility and love.
- To Hear Your Voice – G-d’s voice is available to all who choose to listen.
- The Path of Righteousness – The path is paved with questions.
- For Compassion – About seeing ourselves in everyone.
- On Making a Mistake – To elevate a mistake into an act of love.
- To Ask – On asking for G-d’s guidance and support to live a life of righteousness.
Time
Prayers about the holiness of time in general and about the sanctity of this period in the Jewish calendar:
- Rhythms – A meditation on the contrasting rhythms of life.
- The Season of Healing – This is a season of healing our souls and our lives.
- The Season of Return – This is a season of return to G-d, repentance and t’shuva.
- History – A celebration of the gifts of history and memory.
Confession
Here are meditations on confession (vidui). Although they were written for use on Yom Kippur, they are appropriate as Elul meditations to prepare for vidui:
- Meditation Before the Yom Kippur Vidui – To prepare the heart and the mind for a thorough and honest confession.
- Meditation After the Yom Kippur Vidui – On living differently as a result of an honest and heartfelt confession.
- The Greatest Sin – Carelessly allowing the conditions for sin to take root.
Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here’s a list of prayers for Rosh Hashana, another one of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. Here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.
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