סימן קכח סעיף ב
נוֹהֲגִין לִתְקֹעַ שׁוֹפָר בְּחֹדֶשׁ זֶה. וּמַתְחִילִין בְּיוֹם בּ' דְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ וְתוֹקְעִין בְּכָל יוֹם לְאַחַר תְּפִלַּת שַׁחֲרִית תְּקִיעָה שְׁבָרִים תְּרוּעָה תְּקִיעָה, חוּץ מֵעֶרֶב רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, שֶׁמַּפְסִיקִין בּוֹ, כְּדֵי לְהַפְסִיק בֵּין תְּקִיעוֹת רְשׁוּת לִתְקִיעוֹת מִצְוָה. וְטַעַם הַתְּקִיעוֹת בְּחֹדֶשׁ זֶה כְּדֵי לְעוֹרֵר אֶת הָעָם לִתְשׁוּבָה, כִּי כֵן הוּא הַטֶּבַע שֶׁל הַשּׁוֹפָר לְעוֹרֵר וּלְהַחְרִיד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב, אִם יִתָּקַע שׁוֹפָר בָּעִיר וְעָם לֹא יֶחֱרָדוּ. עוֹד נוֹהֲגִין בִּמְדִינוֹת אֵלּוּ מִיּוֹם בּ' דְּרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ אֱלוּל עַד שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת, אוֹמְרִים בַּבֹּקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב לְאַחַר הַתְּפִלָּה, אֶת הַמִּזְמוֹר לְדָוִד ה' אוֹרִי וְיִשְׁעִי. וְהוּא עַל פִּי הַמִּדְרָשׁ, ה' אוֹרִי, בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה. וְיִשְׁעִי בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. כִּי יִצְפְּנֵנִי בְּסֻכֹּה, רֶמֶז לְסֻכּוֹת. עוֹד נוֹהֲגִין לוֹמַר תְּהִלִּים בַּצִּבּוּר בְּכָל מָקוֹם לְפִי מִנְהָגוֹ. מִשֶנִּכְנַס אֱלוּל עַד יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, כְּשֶׁכּוֹתֵב אָדָם אִגֶּרֶת לַחֲבֵרוֹ, צָרִיךְ לִרְמֹז בָּהּ בִּתְחִלָּתָהּ אוֹ בְסוֹפָהּ שֶׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ עָלָיו וּמְבָרְכוֹ, שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה בִּימֵי הַדִּין, הַבָּאִים לְטוֹבָה, לְהִכָּתֵב וּלְהֵחָתֵם בְּסֵפֶר חַיִּים טוֹבִים (תקפא).
It is customary to blow the shofar during this month. Beginning the second day of Rosh Chodesh,3Some have the custom to blow shofar even on the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul. we blow the shofar each day after the Shacharis prayer, tekiah, shevarim, teruah, tekiah, except on erev Rosh Hashanah, when the blowing is discontinued,4It is permitted, however, to blow shofar in order to practice in preparation for the obligatory sounding of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. (Ibid 581:24) in order to make a distinction between the voluntary blowing of the shofar and the blowing shofar in fulfillment of the mitzvah. The reason for blowing the shofar during this month is to arouse the people to repent; for the shofar sound has the quality to stir [the emotions] and to inspire fear, as Scripture says, (Amos 3:6) "If a shofar is sounded in a city will the people not tremble?" It is also the custom in our regions, beginning with the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul until Shemini Atzeres,5Including the day of Shemini Atzeres. (Ibid 581:2) to recite Psalm [27] LeDovid Hashem ori ve'yish'i6On those days when the Musaf service is said, the psalm is recited after Shacharis, before Ein Komocha [there is none like You] which is said before the Seifer Torah is taken out of the Ark. In the evening the psalm is recited after the Minchah service. [This is the custom of those who pray Nusach Sfard.] In those places where they recite the psalm after the entire service [including Musaf] is completed, such as on Rosh Chodesh, the psalm, Borchi Nafshi [Psalm 104] is recited before LeDovid Hashem Ori. They also have the custom to recite LeDovid Hashem Ori after the psalm of the day is recited. [This is the custom of those who pray Nusach Ashkenaz.] (Ibid 581:2) ["Of David, Hashem is my light and my salvation"] [each day] [after] the morning and evening prayers,7Kaddish should be said after the psalm is recited. (Ibid) This is based on the Midrash: "Hashem is my light" —on Rosh Hashanah; "and my salvation" —on Yom Kippur; "for He will hide me in His shelter" —alludes to Sukkos. It also is customary for the congregation to recite Psalms,8Mishnah Berurah says that we should omit the words: בָּהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה [until we have lived our seventy years] in the prayer recited before saying tehillim [Psalms]; and since we [usually] do not recite an entire book of the Psalms, we should say: בִּזְכוּת מִזְמוֹרֵי תְּהִלִים שֶׁקָרָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ [In the merit of the chapters of tehillim we have recited], when we say the prayer that is said following the saying of tehillim. After this prayer Kaddish should be recited if there is a minyan [a quorum of ten males] present. (Ibid 581:3) each locality according to its custom.9The custom is to recite ten chapters each day, and during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, extra chapters are recited so that the entire Book of Psalms will have been said three times. (Ibid) Beginning with the month of Elul until Yom Kippur, when you write a letter to your friend you should mention, either at the beginning or at the end that you pray for him and bless him to be worthy during the forthcoming Days of Judgment to be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Good Life.
תנא דבי אליהו כל השונה הלכות בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא שנאמר הליכות עולם לו אל תקרי הליכות אלא הלכות (נדה ע"ג.)