The Hebrew month of Elul

In the Hebraic calendar, we began the month of Elul – אלול, a time for personal and communal introspection to prepare for the upcoming holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The four Hebrew letters of Elul are an acronym for the initial letters of the Hebrew phrase in the Song of Songs (6:3): “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me.” Jewish interpretations of this verse state:
I am to my beloved – in repentance and desire to return to God; And my beloved is to me means that God will express His mercy and forgive us.