May 2021

TBO Website Admin / From Our Presidents, TBO News /

Dear Congregation,

This is an exciting and challenging time — figuring out how to safely reopen our building for worship services. The COVID-19 Task Force and the Reopening Task Force have been meeting, reviewing CDC and Safe Washington guidelines, and working hard on plans for getting us back in the building safely.

Ventilation improvements have been completed and other efforts are in process (like getting our streaming system up and running and getting our Board greeters trained).

We are a diverse community with many perspectives. Developing a safe and equitable approach is complex. We hope to be having services in person in the next few weeks, with streaming. We appreciate your patience as we work out the specifics. Watch ORbits and Facebook for more information soon.

In the meantime, please note that as good citizens, we are implementing contact tracing protocols. To facilitate this effort, please make an appointment with the office, in advance, to conduct any Temple business on site. Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.

Melanie Field
Board President

TBO Website Admin / TBO News /

Please go to YouTube to watch the video WITH captioning (you’ll need to click the “cc” in the bottom right of the video window).

TBO Website Admin / From our Rabbi, Rabbi Kort /

In the space of this month’s ORacle, I would like to share background on a liturgical change I have introduced to the Oseh Shalom prayer for peace at our worship services. In addition, we’ll share this new version of Oseh Shalom in our bulletin each week.

Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu, v’al kol yisrael, *v’al kol yosh’vei tevel.
May the one who makes peace in the high heavens, make peace upon us, for all of Israel, and for *all who inhabit the earth.

One of the ways we express our core values as a Jewish People is through prayer. Most of our prayers are comprised of samples from biblical texts. The phrase “oseh shalom bimromav” is borrowed from the Book of Job, a book with a universal message about the nature of evil. The phrase “v’al kol yosh’vei tevel” is from the Book of Isaiah. This prophet’s iconic image of peace, “they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks,” was not simply meant to be enjoyed by Israel, but by all those who inhabit the earth.

Oseh Shalom is an important prayer. It ends the longer Kaddish and is repeated often. In a traditional worship service, the Kaddish is used to conclude different sections of the prayer service and as a memorial prayer. The words and meaning of Oseh Shalom punctuate our services and our lives.

I first remember reading the universal addition to Oseh Shalom in an Israeli prayerbook in the late 1990s. It became better known after the late Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres’ three children used this version of the Kaddish to remember their father during his funeral in 2016. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, commented on how fitting this addition was: “Shimon Peres’ life was so powerfully anchored in Jewish values and this land and state he loved with every fiber of his being. But his life was also intertwined with people all over the world, as exemplified by the scores of world leaders gathered to pay their respects.”

This global pandemic invites us to question our relationship within a global society. Our Jewish tradition does not give simple answers about who should fall in our circle of concern and prayer. Our Jewish tradition does capture an overall desire for not only our people, but all peoples to enjoy peace. I hope you will find it meaningful to join with me in extending the words of Oseh Shalom as a particular Jewish prayer for universal peace.

What is Counting the Omer?

The seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot is known as “the Omer period.” An omer refers to the barley offering brought to the Temple on the second day of Passover. Starting on that day, the Torah instructs: “you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until the day after the seventh week – 50 days” (Leviticus 23:15-16). The Festival of Shavuot is observed on the 50th day.

We mark each day of the Omer with a blessing. In addition, our Jewish mystical tradition has used the Omer as a type of mindfulness practice since the Middle Ages.

TBO Website Admin / From Our Presidents /

Over the past year, due to the COVID virus and the desire to keep our members safe and healthy, all of TBO’s services, meetings, programming, etc. have been conducted virtually. And it has been a long year. At this time, we are still operating in this mode with a busy Re-Opening Task Force, spearheaded by Wanda Bresnick, helping us to prepare for the happy day when we can safely return to in-person activities.

There have been some unanticipated benefits to this Zoom scenario in that we have seen more of members who previously had not been making it to the building regularly. There are a variety of reasons that had limited their in-person participation such as transportation, mobility, scheduling, health, or childcare challenges. We are so happy to see all these folks on the Zoom screen and are committed to finding ways to continue to engage them going forward into the post-COVID era that lies ahead.

On the flip side, there are some members who have practically disappeared. We have missed them and look forward to seeing them in person in the not-too-distant future. Some of these folks are simply Zoomed-out, experiencing Zoom fatigue from work and/or schooling Zoom demands. Perhaps some are not comfortable with or don’t have access to the equipment/networks needed for successful Zooming. Others maybe just don’t like Zoom. Whatever the reason, we are hoping that in-person times are not too far off and that we will fully reconnect with these members soon.

In the meantime, I would like to encourage the non-Zoomers (as well as the Zoomers) to start re-engaging with the community. A great first step would be to check out our new improved website. JonaRose Feinberg took on the unbelievably daunting task of overhauling the TBO website (thanks Jona!) and it looks great. Another way to be involved that does not involve Zoom is to read all about our activities and programs on any number of platforms including this great publication, the ORacle, or electronically through ORbits or Facebook. If you have any questions about any of the TBO communication tools, you can reach out to our Communications team at communications@templebethor.org or contact Sarah Davis in the office.

Further, if you are up for it, join the Mitzvah Corps in supporting our members in need. This does not involve Zoom at all! The Committee Spot Light section of the May ORacle issue includes more information about the good work that this team does. For more details, contact Carolyn Wexler. Another non-Zoom option would be to join a small group that meets outdoors. For information about this, reach out to Rebecca Hicks, our small groups coordinator, to learn all about our small groups program.

Lastly, I would suggest to all members that a great way to connect is a good old-fashioned telephone call. If there is someone in the congregation you have been thinking of and missing, pick up the phone, give them a call and let them know they were on your mind. Heard a name on the Mi Shebeirach list? Consider giving the person a call or email to let them know you care. It could be the highlight of their day, and yours too!

Wishing you all happy connections in the days ahead.

Melanie Field