Monday June 30
We began with a shiur about the challenge in striking the right balance between over-indulging in physicality AND living a life of asceticism (big word that was new for many) which is the belief that a person should pull back from the physical world around us. The question arose after learning about the GR”A – Rav Eliyahu from Vilna – who was an ascetic. He was very distanced from people and the physical world, even family! Seems a bit extreme. We discussed what those people gain, what they lose and what the Torah seems to be instructing us regarding the expectation for most…a balance and a nuanced approach. Each eidah took on this discussion in a way that was age-appropriate for them.
After shekem, there was a “chutz fake-out” where everyone thought maybe maybe they were being told that we were leaving for the Chutz (because the rain had barely started then) but alas! The chutz will be announced a different day. The campers know it “has to be this week” because “next week is always color war” so they are waiting for the big announcement. We had a fun rainy day here, instead, following our schedule of indoor-activities. We actually have so many, b”h: ceramics, gaga (in our covered “gaga pit gazebo”, Master Chef, b-ball in Indoor World, music, dance, karaoke, art, making lemonana with Teva, working on projects in the Village etc.
At the end of the day, for the last peulah, each bunk was given a sheet with questions to lead them through a sicha, a discussion around a specific topic. Today’s sicha was about the Haskalah movement and whether we Jews should integrate into the modern world and study non-Jewish subjects and be part of modernization and secular scholarship OR (a little like the shiur topic this morning) stay away from all of that! They discussed – went around and shared thoughts about questions such as: What do we gain from borrowing from other cultures? What parts of your Judasim come from our tradition and what parts come from other cultures and sources? When there are changes in the world, how do you decide which ones to go along with and which to resist?
Kaytana’s two-week session is ending tomorrow, so they spent their morning packing up and then had their last day of peulot 🙁 They were able to do some projects in the Village and had a celebration of “entering Eretz Canaan/Yisrael” -led by Yehoshua- with a carnival-style bouncy castle and cotton candy. The campers had a great time of course and all raised their hands when I asked “who would stay longer if they could?” So… first attempt at overnight camp? Success!! Thanks to Ephraim Helfgot who ran these amazing two weeks, overseeing counselors and creating, planning for and executing all of the special activities and events which took the campers from Avraham through all avot and imahot, through the descent to Egypt, slavery, the Exodus, years in the desert, and finally entry into The Land. We can’t wait to see these youngest members of our Machane back here next Summer for a full session!!
Today Machal continued their canoe trip in Virgina…
