Many people assume that this period is associated with the frightful judgment which awaits us on Rosh Hashana. This attitude is deeply rooted in lore, for example the Yiddish legend that ‘’in Elul even the fish tremble.’’ However, when we research the significance of Elul in primary sources a very different perspective emerges. Elul is actually a time of love, and its message self-affirming and neshamah redeeming.