Someone once told me they open their siddur before a big exam to pray for a good grade. When I asked, “Does it work?” They answered, “Only if I prepare for the test.”

Prayer and preparation go hand in hand. We learn that the Rabbis would prepare for an hour simply to begin their prayers. It is not enough to say the words and fulfill the obligation on our lips. Rather, we must prepare to step before the Holy One, to not only use our words, but our hearts and souls.

We do not come before God to pray for the answers we desire. Rather, we come and pray to seek the strength and courage to know that we live in a world where we must be part of something greater than ourselves.

You may have seen a full moon in the sky this past week. This means we are heading to the concluding parts of the month of Elul.

There are 40 days from the beginning of Elul until Yom Kippur. We know that Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai preparing to receive the Torah. There were 40 days of flooding when God judged the world.

Preparation time has arrived. The seats in our sanctuaries are set. The music permeates the halls of Sinai Temple.

The story is told of a Rabbi who would begin using the Rosh Hashana melodies during the entire month of Elul. When his students asked him why, he told them this story: There was once a person who would warm his house before dark. He would arrive home during lunch, put on his heater, and then go back to work. He told his friends he only had a one bar heater and he had to start earlier.

The Rabbi said, “I am a one bar heater. I must start earlier. I need more time to prepare for Rosh Hashana.”

In just over a week, we will be together, but the preparation has started. Join us tomorrow evening on Selichot, as we welcome in the melodies of the Holy Days, as we change the Torah covers from red to white, as we recite the first confessional, as we say together: “We are here to prepare.”