The Month of Elul

• Introspection
• Special prayers and additions
• Repentance and confession
• Giving charity
• Blowing the Shofar
• Selichot

Erev Rosh Hashana

• Reciting Selichot
• Omission of Tachanun
• The custom to fast half day
• Annulling all vows - "Hatarat Nedarim"
• Eruv Tavshilin

Rosh Hashana

• A two day holiday
• Apple and Honey
• Shofar: its symbolism, the notes, 100 blasts
• The four New Years
• The different names for Rosh Hashana
• Refraining from sleep - start as you mean to continue!
• Tashlich
• Saying the Blessing "Shehechiyanu" on new fruits
• The Rosh Hashana Seder
• The custom to wear white
• Rosh Hashana prayers

The Ten Days of Repentance

• The Fast of Gedaliah
• Prayers and fasting
• Teshuva between man and God
• Selichot
• Shabbat Shuva

Erev Yom Kippur

• The mitzvah to eat
• The special Mincha service
• Kaparot
• Seuda Hamafseket (meal of cessation)

Yom Kippur

• The Five Prohibitions of the day
• The custom to wear white
• Confession of Sin
• Kol Nidrei
• Prayers and Readings
• Ne'ilah
• Blowing the Shofar
• After Yom Kippur

Dates in History

• 17 Elul - the death of the spies sent by Moses to Canaan
• 25 Elul - the creation of the World
• 25 Elul - The prophet Nechemia completes the building of the wall around Jerusalem
• 1 Tishrei - the creation of Adam
• 1 Elul - Moses ascends Mount Sinai to receive the second Tablets of Stone
• 10 Tishrei - Moses descends the mountain with the second Tablets of Stone

Repentance

• Repentance - Teshuva and Forgiveness
• Biblical Origins/sources of Repentance: when God forgave Adam for the sin of the Tree of Knowledge
• The Mechanics of Repentance

The Power of Prayer

• Selichot
• The 13 Divine Attributes
• The Piyut 'Untane Tokef' and the story of Rabbi Amnon of Meintz
• 'Hayom Harat Olam'
• Avinu Malkeinu
• Kol Nidrei
• Confession - Vidui
• The Rosh Hashana Amidah - Sovereignty, Providential Memory and the Sounds of the Shofar

Torah Readings

• Shabbat Shuva: Maftir - Hoshea 14
• Rosh Hashana, the first day:
  Torah - Bereshit 21: the birth of Isaac; Maftir - Bamidbar 29: sacrificial offerings on Rosh Hashana; Haftorah - Samuel 1: Hanna's prayer
  
• Second Day:
  Bereshit 22: The binding of Isaac (Akeida); Maftir - as on the first day; Haftorah - Yirmeyahu - an account of Israel's future redemption
  
• Yom Kippur Shacharit and Mincha
• Themes and significance of the readings