Wednesday July 6
Campers slept so well last night at the Chutz site and really enjoyed another day out with the whole camp. After tefilah, the campers had cereal and milk for breakfast and shiur. The shiur today was about the Greek translation of Torah, again through skits put on by the Beit Midrash staff. Four different people talked about four different perspectives on this translation written by 72 Rabbis under King Ptolemy’s order: one of the Sages, King Ptolemy “himself”, a modern-day scholar/professor and a Jew who lived “back then” and learned Torah in Greek thanks to the translation of the Septuagint.
After that fascinating and entertaining shiur, everyone settled down around their fire pits for the highlight of the chutz each year: “the never-ending breakfast”. It actually used to be breakfast but, due to its length, was changed to the mid-day meal : )
Every plugah (=group at a fire pit with Eidah Daled in charge) receives ingredients like bread, eggs ,veges, cheese and anything else they ask for that is out there…and then starts the fun and creativity. French toast and yummy omelettes are just the beginning. Campers were using marshmallows from last night’s smores and rice crispy cereal and made fresh rice crispy treats!! Someone took their potato chips and cheese and made nachos. It was so fun and pretty funny too! They had a great time and ate well.
By mid-afternoon, it was time to clean up, pack up and head back to machane. Eidah Daled stayed behind and did the massive/real/thorough clean up that needs to happen. All privilege comes with responsibility. They were amazing this Chutz and showed us that they have leadership, patience and are trustworthy. Kol haKavod Eidah daled!!!
Everyone had shower time and a delicious dinner and then spread out for night tochnit by eidah –
Aleph: “Newley-wed game” with counselors tested on how well they knew each other
Vav girls – spa night
Vav boys – dodge ball
Bet – karaoke
Gimmel – team building games
Daled – mishmar with Rav Adi and freshly made cinnamon buns (with a shiur on when mezonot foods need to be washed on and require the haMotzi bracha)
Machal continued their learning in DC with a few hours in the Holocaust museum. They sat together after and processed some of what they had just seen and heard. Following lunch, they had free time to visit Smithsonian museums, and then they went to some memorials and learned about them. Tonight was a fun evening at a minor league baseball game!!
