We're a week and a bit into Elul, and the shiur goes through siman 581 from the top — the minhagim everyone keeps without necessarily knowing where they come from. When exactly the tkias starts, whether it's once a day or twice, what happens when the shul has no shofar or no ba'al tokea, and where L'Dovid Hashem Ori sits in davening once Barchi Nafshi and Anim Zemiros are also on the table. The second half turns to the machshavah: why the remazim of Elul all point at tzedaka and ichud, and what that has to do with kabalas malchuyos on Rosh Hashanah.

In this episode:

- Tkias shofar by Arvis — does the Chayei Adam's "likras erev" mean Mincha, or is it Maariv mamash like the Mateh Efraim, even on Motzei Shabbos?

- Your shul has no ba'al tokea by Shachris — do you blow b'yachid, do you catch it at Mincha, and may a katan be the one to blow?

- Tashrat every day, or Tashrat-Tashat-Tarat, or 30 kolos on Rosh Chodesh — and why the first day of Rosh Chodesh is the nekudah?

- L'Dovid Hashem Ori: until Yom Kippur, Hoshana Rabbah or Shmini Atzeres, before or after Barchi Nafshi and Anim Zemiros — and why minhag Frankfurt and the Gra don't say it at all?

- Why "u'mishloach manos ish l're'ehu u'matanos la'evyonim" is a remez to Elul — and how becoming a "lo" is the hachana for malchuyos.

Sources: Tur OC 581, Shulchan Aruch and Rama OC 581, Mishnah Berurah (incl. s"k 2), Magen Avraham, Chayei Adam (Hilchos Rosh Hashanah), Mateh Efraim, Bach (end of the siman) and Sefer HaAruch, Levush, Igros Moshe OC 4:21 os 9, Ma'aseh Rav (Gra), Nimukei Orach Chaim, Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer, with mesoros quoted from Rav Moshe Sternbuch and Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky. Machshavah section: Be'er Heitev 581:10 quoting Minhagei Maharil (Hilchos Yamim Noraim), Shem MiShmuel (Parshas Shoftim), Ba'al HaCharedim on Megillas Esther, Chasam Sofer, Rambam (Sefer HaMitzvos mitzvah 173, Hilchos Melachim), Megaleh Amukos.