“When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you?” – Deuteronomy 21:19

People – including myself – love to quote this verse, but it’s really not fair to quote it without including the one that follows:

“Only trees that you know do not yield food may be destroyed; you may cut them down for constructing siegeworks against the city that is waging war on you, until it has been reduced.” – Deuteronomy 21:20

This conveys quite a different message: that the value of trees is completely contingent on providing sustenance for us humans. This is hardly a new idea, and the idea of world-here-for-human-consumption is found in numerous other places in Torah.

What do we think of this idea? And how much “respect” do the trees deserve anyhow? Is there a point where it could become kinda idolatrous?

Why do all of these different names matter? When does the use of a name matter? Does it matter?

William Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Is that true in this situation?

What about us? Are we defined by our names? Every name, especially in the Tanach, has a meaning – how significant is that?

In case you didn’t realize, Kadima Kinnus is right around the corner on February 3rd-5th. This year, Kadima Kinnus is SUPER HERO THEMED!!! Teams Batman, Spiderman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman will battle it out in awesome Kadima games throughout the weekend. We have an unbelievable weekend planned and we want it to be enjoyed by as many people as possible. Here is where you come in. We all need to work as hard as possible to get the most amount of Kadimaniks signed up possible. This means EVERYONE needs to talk to all the Kadimaniks and potential Kadimaniks they know. This could be at Synagogue, Jewish day school, Religious schools, Bar Mitzvahs, etc. I know that if we all work our hardest, we can achieve our goals.

B’ahava,

Ari Vandersluis

2011-2012 CRUSY Mem/Kad VP

Hey CRUSY! In this week’s parsha, Shmot, God comes to Moshe and tasks him with an incredible task: to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Moshe’s reply is far from enthusiastic:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharoah and free the Israelites from Egypt?” – Shmot 3:11

Moshe’s response is intriguing, and defines him as a person. The response is, for instance, far different from Avraham’s suave, unquestioning acceptance of a God-given task in Lech Lecha. Moshe continues:

“What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: The Lord did not appear to you?” – Shmot 4:1

What do you think of this interaction between Moshe and HaShem? Do you think Moshe’s humility is appropriately applied here? Are humility and self-confidence necessarily opposing traits? And how do you think you would react if HaShem suddenly gave you a task of this magnitude?

For example:  When praying, mouthing the words to the prayers is considered to be the minimum action allowable – simply thinking the words is insufficient.  However, what if you are physically incapable of mouthing the words?  Presumably, an exception can be made.

Or, what if you simply didn’t know that you were making a mistake?

On a broader note, which is more important – the ends or the means?

How far can we stretch any rule or guideline before the original intent becomes unrecognizable?  Are there certain mitzvot which different groups of people are incapable of doing?

Are you excited for this week’s parsha? I am. It’s a musical!

Parshat Vayeishev is the story of Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Check out this video for more!

-Evan Kominsky
2011-2012 Rel/Ed VP

You might have heard, but the registration deadline for Fall Kinnus has been extended! It is now October 30. Everything must be in by this date! (Forms must be postmarked by October 31.)

Can’t wait for November 11-13! It will be a blast!

Click here to sign up.

For the past week, we have been in the period of days known as the Aseret Yamei Teshuvah (the Ten Days of Repentence). This interval of repentance began with Rosh Hashanah on the first of Tishrei and culminates with Yom Kippur, the high point of our atonement, on the 10th of Tishrei.

In Vayikra, we are told that we must afflict our souls. Our Oral Tradition, the Talmud, tells us that this means we are not allowed to eat/drink, wear leather shoes, bathe, put on scented perfumes or lotions, and we must abstain from marital relations.

This year, Yom Kippur falls on October 8, Shabbat. The fast lasts from sundown on October 7 until night on October 8.

Here are some general guidelines for a successful holiday:

BEFORE YOM KIPPUR:

1. Eat a big dinner to minimize hunger during the holiday

2. Light a memorial candle

3. Light candles for the holiday

DURING YOM KIPPUR:

1. Don’t eat or drink anything (if doing so will not threaten your health)

2. Refrain from wearing leather shoes, washing yourself, or engaging in sexual activity

3. Refrain from doing melacha (work)

4. Say Al Chet (confessions) for your sins

5. Go to shul

AFTER YOM KIPPUR:

1. Break the fast!

2. Make an effort to stop doing all the sins you’ve asked forgiveness for

G’mar Chatimah Tovah,

May you be sealed in the Book of Life,

Evan Kominsky

2011-2012 CRUSY Rel/Ed Vice President

There is so much going on in our central region, especially the act that THERE ARE ONLY 16 MORE DAYS TO SIGN UP FOR CAMP USY XL!!!!!!!

Also, thank you for all the responses we have received so far, but it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY THAT YOU FILL OUT THE SURVEY AT https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?authkey=CPi-q4UI&hl=en_US&formkey=dG9yM21nZkEyc2RuNHIzLTI0UDBZekE6MQ#gid=0 NOW!!!! The sooner all of CRUSY’s information is received, the sooner we can start putting another amazing CRUSY year together!!

To all those that are leaving for camps, trips, seminars, etc, have a blast this summer, and I can’t wait to see you when you get back!!!

Keep it real,
Eric Yoffee
CRUSY Regional Communications VP 2011-12