Twice daily this season we turn to Psalm 27. A midrashThis word is used in two ways, as both a concept and a literature. As a concept, midrash is the expansive interpretation of biblical texts. The term is used to describe the practice of rabbinic interpretation. As a text, it refers to specific collections of interpretations, particularly from the third to ninth centuries in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. Plural: Midrashim
Read more hears the holidays inside its first line: “God is my light—on Rosh Hashanah—and my salvation—on Yom Kippur. Whom then shall I fear—on Hoshana Rabbah?” (Midrash Tehillim 27, cited in Rituals and Prayers Recited in Elul).

The psalmist’s courage is not bravado. It is practice. Naming fear and placing it in relationship is how fear loosens its grip.

Name a fear you carry into the year. Say it out loud. Place it in prayer. Write it in a note on your phone. Share it with one trusted person. The point is not to erase fear but to remember it does not define you. You are more than the loudest voice inside you.

Kavanah: Let honesty be your courage today. Speak one fear into the light.

Explore the full Elul intentions here.