One of the most successful ad campaigns of all time is Coca Cola’s “It’s the real thing.” While the actual line appeared in Coke’s branding materials dating back to the 1940’s, the more modern ad concept was launched in 1969 and revisited in the 1990’s and again in 2005.

Last Sunday, CNS held its second Town Hall meeting by Zoom. These meetings are an innovation by Glen Coblens, whose presidency is already being defined by the importance of, as he puts it, over-communicating during this unprecedented time. The topic we addressed was our changed High Holiday celebrations, which seems particularly important given how many changes we will see this year.

There’s an interesting commandment in this week’s Torah reading. In Deuteronomy 19:14, we are commanded not to move landmarks. “You shall not move your countryman’s landmarks, set up by previous generations, in the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.”

I have been away on a Writing Retreat in preparation for the High Holidays, and my Oasis Songs column will return next week. Before that, I did want to alert you to an opportunity for this coming Thursday, August 20th. As part of Neveh Shalom’s commitment to learning more about Portland’s African American community, deepening our knowledge of the forms of racism and taking steps to combat racism, I have been having numerous conversations with Black leaders and working on programming opportunities for us this coming year (after the High Holidays).

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz died today and was buried In Jerusalem. For those unfamiliar with his name, he was the last “gadol,” the last “great one.” It would be very difficult to overstate the importance of this scholar or his contributions to the Jewish world.

The Ten Commandments is on my mind because it is included in this week’s Torah reading, Parshat Va’etchanan. This is the second iteration of the Decalogue, as it’s also called in English. The first time they appeared was back in Exodus, chapter 34. The major difference between Exodus and Deuteronomy versions is that one speaks of “observing” the Shabbat, and the other of “remembering” it.

We have entered a period of time known as the Nine Days. This refers to the first days of the month of Av leading up to and including Tisha B’Av, the darkest day of the Jewish calendar. Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples [586 BCE and 70 CE]-- the one that Solomon built, and then later the one that Ezra and Herod had a hand in constructing.