Fri-Shabbat-Sun
Shavua Tov to all parents and friends,
Friday was so busy, but let me catch you up.
Friday morning breakfast is a pretty big deal here at Machane Stone. Music plays (loudly!!) in our Chadar Ochel as everyone prepares their sandwiches for the hike. Each week spontaneous dancing breaks out and, with that, the pre-Shabbos ruach begins here 😉 It is a core memory for many chanichim. Ask your kids about “the Peanut Butter/Jelly song” (although, ironically, peanuts – and all nuts – are banned, ha!)
In shiur, we learned about the Printing Press and how that gave Jews access to Torah. All Jews. For years before only the wealthy could afford to pay a scribe to copy over something written, and it was on parchment (a scroll). Suddenly, books were being printed… millions of them. Literacy spread, and education among the general population grew. So many more Jews could learn and know Torah. Is there a downside to that? (Some older groups discussed the pros and cons to democratization of learning.)
Kaytana was up to the story of Yosef and the favoritism in their family which led to the Jewsih people going down to Egypt.
Following shiur, each eidah got ready for their hike:
Kaytana went to a Perry’s ice cream store next to a park. They had lunch, played outside for a while and then each camper was able to order the flavor they wanted.
Aleph went berry-picking.
Vav went on a hike that takes the kids through some water and into a pipe where they crawl through and ta-da, they end up back in camp!
Bet went to picnic in the park “in town” (the main corner in Sugar Grove, home to the nearby Kwik-Fill gas station) and wouldn’t ya know it?! Another Perry’s opened up there. Once again, everyone ordered an ice cream of their favorite flavor.
Gimmel went on a hike up a steep hill called “Goast Hill Road” near our Chutz site
Daled walked a trail we call the “Purple Mailbox Hike”
Shabbat was full of beautiful tefillot with LOTS of singing, a bar mitzvah Aliyah of an Eidah Gimmel boy, a visit from the Fuchs Mizrachi School principal, Rabbi Avery Joel, a parsha shiur for tzevet by Rabbi Jeremy Wieder, A YU Rosh Yeshiva who is our Scholar-in-Residence for two weeks, dancing and cheering-by-eidah at dinner and lunch, beautiful slow shira at Seudah Shlishit and a memorable story told by Rav Adi, Rav haMachane, at Seudah Shlishit about our longing for Eretz Yisrael. And, then, right as Havdalah was about to begin, we saw the news of the US Air Force’s amazing bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran! Yakov and Estee informed the tzevet who recited Mizmor l’Todah. (The campers were told today at Mincha, and then they, too, were led, in that perek of tehillim.) May we continue to see Hashem’s blessings and the partnership between countries fighting evil.
Each eidah had a fun night activity (swimming, sports etc) and the tzevet were treated to a yummy Melaveh Malka meal of schnitzel sandwiches.
Today, Sunday, was sunny and hot!! Everyone enjoyed their peulot, a full day of activities and our first chugim slot where the campers enjoyed the elective they chose last week. Our shiur was about Kabbalah and mysticism with a taste of some Kabbalistic terms and a lesson in sefirot.
One thing to mention here, before we continue with our first full week of machane, is that our bunk names this session are all names of people and places related to the period in Jewish history we are studying. We have Venice, Toledano, Tzfat, and Amsterdam along with Dona Gracia, Shach (abbreviation for a commentator on our Shulchan Aruch), and Glickl of Hamlin. We are all getting used to these words being said as if it is the most normal thing! Pretty classic for Camp Stone: “Dona Gracia, please go to the office to leave for Susim” (horse-riding).
Night activity tonight was BUNK NIGHT (you will see pictures soon). Each bunk has an opportunity to present their bunk name with a שלט, a sign painted, and a song or skit. They perform for the other bunks in their eidah, and had one peula today to prepare their presentation.
Kaytana learned about the Jewish people’s years of slavery and had a pesach seder at dinner time – grape juice, matza, meat (korban pesach), even karpas and marror. The works!! They sang “mah nishtana“… and asked for an afikomen present 😉
Machal left camp for a full day hike, called the Big Gorge, which ends at a beach on Lake Erie. They are sleeping out at a campground near there and grilling for dinner.
May we have a week full of friendship, fun and learning. And more good news from our Homeland. Amen!
