CBT Nu'z. Av-Elul 5775, August 2015 ~ Congregation B nai Torah, Olympia, WA, USA. Exhalations from the Ex-President

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1 CBT Nu'z Av-Elul 5775, August 2015 ~ Congregation B nai Torah, Olympia, WA, USA Exhalations from the Ex-President W e are currently (as I write this) in the last of the five books of Moses, Deuteronomy or, in Hebrew, Devarim. This book is always started the last Shabbat before the fast of Tishe b Av. It is Moses's repetition of the laws given on Sinai as well as the repetition of the history of the Exodus and the time spent traveling to the Promised Land. In this book, which was spoken to the generation about to enter the land of Israel, there is a statement that we should not add or subtract laws in history from our Torah. Yet this document has to serve for all time. The Conditions certainly have varied since we stood at the borders of Eretz Yisroel. The problem has always been for Jews to remain true to our spiritual heritage while living in the physical world. Ascetics get around this by simply withdrawing from the physical world while hedonists take the opposite tract and simply avoid the spiritual. We are not so lucky. These are the words that we have to live by-we must adapt our physical life so as not to obliterate our spiritual life. In Talmudic terms this is a "kashya", a thorny problem. One example would be the sacrificial rites practiced in our Temples, both of which were destroyed on 9 of Av. Some people see it as horrible animal cruelty which they cannot abide. In fact, the Conservative siddur, Sim Shalom, includes paragraphs to be substituted in our traditional prayers for

2 those mentioning the sacrifices. Others point out that we do eat meat and even most vegetarians wear leather shoes and belts. Furthermore the Jewish laws of slaughter take into account and minimize animal suffering. The sacrifices for the most part were eaten with only a few parts being completely consumed by fire. This burning of the flesh of animals is commanded as making a "pleasurable aroma for God". Does God need perfume? It seems nonsensical. Normally we think of sacrifices as giving up something valuable to us in order to achieve a better or higher or more profitable goal. In chess we would sacrifice a pawn in order to capture the Queen. We sell stock at a loss in order to get cash to buy a more valuable property. In ancient times pagans sacrificed their children to get a favorable heavenly assist. We Jews on the other hand, have a barbecue with God getting only the smell! Let's analyze this a bit. The smell is actually an omen of things to come. Taste, we find, is predicated on our sense of smell. I can remember the old schoolroom experiments when we would plug up somebody's nose and have them bite either into an onion or an apple and see if they could tell the difference. We talk of the smell of rain or of fear or of victory. The smell precedes the actuality. So it is with God. We offer the smell of pleasantness, the forerunner of the pleasantness of good deeds, of doing the mitzvot. This is how we combine the physical with the spiritual, by promising with the material the actualizing of the spiritual. Len Albert

3 Shalom Sisterhood of Olympia Our next meeting will be on August 23 and will be taking place in the garden courtyard area of Short Stay Lodgings (located just up the street from Temple Beth Hatfiloh). Contact: L' shalom, Shalom Sisterhood of Olympia "To foster camaraderie and promote community involvement" Tea & Tsoras It is August we are meeting and it is time to select the restaurants for the next six months. Our meeting time is 6:00 pm. August 11 Tugboat Annies 2100 West Bay Dr. NW, Olympia Let me know if you have questions or comments and if you are coming. Sue Cordas

4 August Birthdays & Anniversaries August 13: Mike and Brigette Ellen s Anniversary August 21: Stan Finkelstein s Birthday August 29: Gerald and Tobi s Anniversary August Yahrzeits 23 Av ~ August 8: Gertrude Coh, mother of Edith Rutel 4 Elul ~ August 19: Robert Echols, brother of Eleanor Gibson 6 Elul ~ August 21: Thelma Ferges, sister of Dan Roselle

5 Donations From Stan and Marjie Finkelstein, a donation to the Cantorial fund and the Kiddush fund in memory of Stan s father, Isaac Finkelstein. Donations are always needed and appreciated. Thank you all donors. Checks should be made out and mailed to: Congregation B'nai Torah CBT Treasurer, P.O. Box Olympia, WA Current funds include: Adult Education Fund, Building Fund, Pump house Fund, Kiddush Fund, Loan Fund, Memorial Book Fund, Morris Belling Leadership Fund, Newsletter Fund, Prayer Book Fund, Youth Education. If you make a donation, please let the editors at CBTnuz@live.com know so that we can make sure you are acknowledged promptly. Nosh & Drash The August 22, 11am Nosh and Drash at CBT will be a discussion of the book Suite Francais, by Irene Nemirovsky. This book was hidden for 64 years, and was only recently published. It chronicles the author s coexistence with the enemy in Paris during the 2 nd World War. Copies of the book are available from Amazon in print form or on Kindle, as well as a number of other sources.

6 August 2015 ~ Av-Elul 5775 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday CBT Congregation B nai Torah Please submit your articles, photos and information to: cbtnuz@live. com 1 Shabbat Nachamu Parshat Va etchanan Chof Av 6 7 2:00pm Shul 8:17 pm First Friday Service with Hazzan 7:30 pm 8 9:30 am Congregation-led Morning Service Chazzan Brad Smith Parshat Eikev Tea & Tsoras 6pm, Tugboat Annie s 16 Rosh Chodesh 23 Shalom Sisterhood, 6pm, Short Stay Lodgings :00 pm Shul DEAD- LINE for NUZ :06 pm 21 2:00 pm Shul 7:54 pm :00 pm Shul 7:41 pm 15 Rosh Chodesh 9:30 am Morning Service Parshat Re eh 22 9:30 am informal Morning Service Nosh & Drash 11:00 am Parshat Shoftim 29 Parshat Ki Teitzei September services: Sept. 4 th, 7:30 pm; Sept. 12 th, 9:30 am; Sept. 19 th, 9:30 am; Sept. 26 th, 9:30 am & 11:00 am To view more CBT calendars, visit

7 Congregation B nai Torah (CBT) Affiliated with the Conservative (Masorti) Movement Contact Information: President: Stan Finkelstein stan.finkelstein@comcast.net CBT Mailing Address: P.O. Box Olympia, WA Phone: (360) WEB site: To be placed on our mailing list please cbtnuz@live.com If you have Calendar details (or other newsletter info) please cbtnuz@live.com Congregation B nai Torah P.O. Box Olympia WA