Men's Elul Chavura

1. MEN'S ELUL CHAVURA Home Page:

From the Home Page one can navigate thru the website to see explanations and instructions how the Chavura works and view answers to questions that others have asked. One can invite others to join the program and can enjoy comments from past participants.

TEHILLIM Page:

(Section 1) In this section there is a calendar that shows when all the D'var Torahs and Tzedaka are due, and which Tehillim Track each member begins from.

(Section 2) This section provides personalized Tehillim schedules for each individual Track over all 40-days.

(Section 3) This section shows how Sefer Tehillim, which consists of 150 chapters/perakim, is broken into 40 portions, allowing each member to recite a daily portion. This chart is the basis of our Tehillim Tracks.

(Reader Section) The entire Sefer Tehillim is available here for members to recite Tehillim directly from the website.

MEMBERS Page:

This page lists all participants in the program. This includes each man's English and Hebrew names, his parents' Hebrew names (to pray/daven for him), his home residence, the day his D'var Torah and Tzedaka are due, and his personal Tehillim Track schedule.

D'VAR TORAHS Page:

This page displays all D'var Torahs posted so far and allows each member to submit a D'var Torah at any point before it is due.

Once it is approved by Administration the D'var will post and be viewable on its due date.

COMMUNITY BOARD Page:

This page allows members to post comments and share insights with fellow members.

DEDICATE Page:

From this page members can make a dedication for someone of their choice. This can be in honor of, or for a healthy recovery/refuah shlayma, or for Shalom Bayis, or the benefit of children, or in memory of someone deceased/niftar. The merits of the dedication can be from Tehillim recited, D'var Torahs posted, Tzedaka given, and can will post for 1 day up to all 40 days.

By design, the Chavura is fueled on an integral theme of repentance/Teshuva which is necessary for a smooth transition into the New Year.

With the benefit of sources that teach us about significant events in Jewish history, we are told that Moshe Rebbeinu ascended Mount Sinai on Rosh Chodesh Elul to receive the 2nd set of stone tablets/luchos after the 1st set were destroyed by Moshe following the sin of the Golden Calf/Cheit ha'Eigel. He remained on the mountain for 40-days and 40-nights, coming down on Yom Kippur when Gd granted complete forgiveness to the Jewish people. Since Gd showed supreme mercy and accepted repentence during those original 40-days, the corresponding 40-day span on the annual calendar became established as Days of Favor/Yemei Ratzon and a propitious time for repentance and return/Teshuva.

In the high holiday (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur) prayer books/Machzor we learn a profound and powerful rule that 'Tefilla, Teshuva, Tzedaka tear up an evil decree.'

This program then translated...
...Tefilla as Tehillim
...Teshuva as D'var Torah
...Tzedaka as Tzedaka.

In the Mens Chavura, we are not aware of who created this program, however it was first discovered when the Administrator's wife participated in a women's version of the Chavura a number of years ago. From there, it was believed that men would benefit with having the same opportunity.