Elul Unbound 2026
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What the
heck is Elul?
You've probably heard about the fall holidays of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). But far fewer people know about Elul, the month that precedes them.
We think about Elul as an “on-ramp” to the High Holidays. Because it’s the final month of the Hebrew calendar before the Jewish New Year, Elul is typically treated as a time of heightened personal and spiritual introspection. Traditional observances that some Jews practice during the month of Elul include listening to the sound of the shofar daily and reciting Psalm 27 during prayer.
What the heck is
Elul Unbound?
Judaism Unbound proudly presents Elul Unbound, a month of special programming designed to offer additional opportunities and ‘food-for-thought’ to our listeners during this month of reflection. Our multi-modal menu of Elul experiences includes weekly bonus mini-podcasts, emails featuring curated Elul content, and live Zoom gatherings, all of which are accessible via this page.
As part of our Elul programming, we will be sending our bi-weekly emails to listeners with specialized Elul content curated by the Judaism Unbound staff. Fill in the form below to sign up for Elul Unbound emails:
Elul Shabbat Gatherings:
We are excited to be hosting four synchronous Shabbat gatherings via Zoom, throughout the month of Elul. We have intentionally varied the meeting times in the hope of accommodating different schedules. Our Elul Zoom Gatherings will take place:
Elul Shabbat Gathering #1: Friday, August 14th from 8-9 pm ET/5-6pm PT.
Elul Shabbat Gathering #2: Friday, August 21st from 3-4pm ET/12-1 pm PT.
Elul Shabbat Gathering #3: Friday, August 28th from 3-4 pm ET/12-1 pm PT.
Elul Shabbat Gathering #4: Friday, September 4th from 8-9 pm ET/5-6 pm PT
UnYeshiva: Elul Mini-Courses
Don’t miss our 3-session Elul mini-courses in the UnYeshiva, a perfect way to enhance your experience of the month of Elul (and prep for Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur). These courses exist specifically for you to be able to add Jewish learning (and Jewish unlearning!) to your preparation for the High Holidays.
Courses include:
Hannah, Hagar, Sarah: The Women of Rosh Hashanah (Tuesday afternoons, taught by Alicia Jo Rabins)
Jewish Time-Travel: Discovering the Shapes of our Past and Future (Wednesday evenings, taught by Xava De Cordova)
Avinu Malkeinu? Is God Really “Our King?”(Thursday evenings, taught by Laynie Soloman)
Elul Podcasts
Each week of Elul, we will be releasing a podcast episode as part of our Elul Unbound series, airing in the Judaism Unbound podcast feed! Join co-hosts Lex Rofeberg and Wendie Bernstein-Lash in these episodes for conversations about spirituality, Shmita Year 5 (a “Thurs-Year”?), and more.
You can find our Elul episodes on Spotify, or wherever you stream Judaism Unbound regularly, and they will also be posted here as the episodes are released.
Check out all Elul episodes from previous years below:
Spiritual Direction
Jewish spiritual direction (also called hashpa’ah) is a spiritual practice where a trained guide/mentor companions a spiritual seeker in the exploration of their spiritual life. We are offering one free spiritual direction session to Judaism Unbound listeners during Elul as part of our Elul Unbound. These sessions are confidential and can be done over the phone or zoom. If you are interested, fill out the contact form below and we will be in touch with you.
Contact Us
Remember, we love hearing from our listeners! So please, in addition to utilizing our resources at the links above, we would be thrilled if you shared your Elul plans and resources with us. You can do so by sending emails to Elul@JudaismUnbound.com. Chodesh Elul Tov -- have an amazing month!