Why do some communities start reciting Selihot, the penitential prayers leading up to the High Holidays, at the beginning of the Jewish month of Elul, while others start at a later date?
As we enter Elul Rabbi Professor David Golinkin, President of The Schechter Institutes explains the beautiful differences with the timing of Selihot in the traditions of Persian, Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews.
As the High Holidays approach, may the selichot services give us the impetus and the courage to ask forgiveness both from God and from our fellow man (see Mishnah Yoma 8:9).
Watch the video below:
David Golinkin is President of The Schechter Institutes, Inc. and President Emeritus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. For twenty years he served as Chair of the Va’ad Halakhah (Law Committee) of the Rabbinical Assembly which gives halakhic guidance to the Masorti Movement in Israel. He is the founder and director of the Institute of Applied Halakhah at Schechter and also directs the Center for Women in Jewish Law. Rabbi Professor Golinkin made aliyah in 1972, earning a BA in Jewish History and two teaching certificates from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He received an MA in Rabbinics and a PhD in Talmud from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America where he was also ordained as Rabbi. For a complete bio click here.