אלול

 

איש לרעהו ומתנות לאביונים   1) You may do it 11 months in the year (even לכתחילה) but you may not do it the entire month of Ellul. ? 2) You may do it only 1 month in the year, in Ellul but not the other 11 months of the year. ? 1) The ערוך השלחן (O.Ch.581:12) writes, “It is forbidden to blow Shofar the entire month of Ellul, in the night time, even if it’s done just for practice. The reason is, not to awaken the negative  forces of the night.”(Kabbalah) The טור (O.Ch. 581) writes that in אשכנז the Minhag is to blow Shofar every morning and evening (בכל בקר וערב ) R. Moishe Feinstein zt”l (Igros Moishe O.Ch. 4, 21,) writes, “It is מסתבר (makes sense) "Erev" is not  in the night-time, but during the daytime, either after Mincha* or after early Ma’ariv. (They used to Daven Ma’ariv in the daytime).”  *The חיי אדם, brings the Minhag of blowing Shofar after Mincha. 2) The אמרי פנחס (R. Pinchos Koritzer zt"l)  writes, During the month of אלול, one may recite Tehillim in the nighttime even before חצות (all year round one may recite Tehillim in the night only after חצות) i