by Rabbi Taron Tachman, Moshavah Segel (Faculty) 
Yesterday on the bus ride back from our four day Moshavah hike I overheard one of the chanichim (campers) excitedly say: “I can’t wait to write my parents about all the great things that happened on this hiking trip!! Wow, it’s gonna be a very l-o-n-g letter!
Indeed there is so much that happens on the Moshavah (Mosh for short) outdoor adventure tiyulim (trips) and there is also much that one could write in a letter to parents (or in a camp blog)! However, since a blog, unlike a four day hike, is meant to be fairly short, I will try to be brief here.
As a congregational rabbi I have had the privilege of serving as segel (faculty) at OSRUI for three wonderful summers. For each of the two weeks each summer I have spent at camp, I have always requested to be with the Moshavah Bet Eidah (unit). And while I could write a whole series of blogs about the joys of being at camp with Mosh Bet, I would instead like to say a word about time spent with Mosh Bet outside of camp.
What distinguishes Moshavah from other camp units is that Mosh chanichim go on two, four day tiyulim consisting of canoeing, hiking, mountain climbing or biking. Each of the three summers I have spent with Mosh I have elected to accompany the hiking group. What I like best about the hiking tiyulim is how such experiences builds character, teaches important values, transforms individuals and brings groups together. I would guess that the same could be said about the other tiyulim Mosh takes as well, but I am admittedly partial to the hiking trip!
Here are a few brief examples of what I mean: The hiking tiyul challenges the chanichim on numerous levels. It challenges them physically. Walking up and down hills, navigating difficult terrain and confronting the elements is not easy, especially while schlepping a heavy pack on one’s back, and yet every camper somehow manages this task. What is amazing to see is the expressions of pride on the young hikers’ faces when they make it to each destination.
The trips also challenges the chanichim to step out of their comfort zones as they spend four days in nature without showers, running water, toilets and deodorant. Can you imagine?! For teenagers who are often overly concerned about how they look (and smell) this experience can be very liberating as it allows the campers to temporarily relax about such matters and lets them instead focus their attention elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong, they are all thrilled to get back to camp to shower, but in the process they learn to appreciate their bodies more, they realize they don’t have to worry so much about being perfectly clean all the time and they come back with an immense feelings of gratitude for the creatures comforts they had previously taken for granted.
While hiking, the campers also discover they can actually live and enjoy life without technology! Yes, it is true! On a hike, the only entertainment to be had isn’t from television or computers, but rather from the chanichims’ imaginations, humor and creativity. My favorite aspects of hiking with the chanichim are hearing their hilarious stories, listening to them to answer riddles they make up, laughing at the jokes they tell and watching how they make one another giggle with their silly antics. (On this last trip one tent created an entire shadow puppet routine—with flashlights from the insides of their tent!) Such laughter also is generated when out of the ordinary things that just happen on a trip and when they kids decide to laugh rather than cry when things don’t go exactly as expected. What is especially important about the laughter and play that happens on these trips is that such frivolity often leads to the development of strong bonds between the chanichim and between the chanichim and staff. It is often on account of the laughter that trust is established and there is then room for deeper, more meaningful conversations which then yield stronger connections.
The Mosh hikes are also wonderful in that they teach the Chanichim about personal and group responsibility. If you, for example, were warned not to leave your hiking boots in the open overnight and you do not listen, it is you who has to wear them the next day, even if they are full of water from the rain. (You can complain if you want, but that is not the Mosh way. Moshavah campers are taught to deal with their challenges with dignity and a positive attitude.) In terms of learning group responsibility, everyone is expected to pull their own weight. The group does not move forward until every hiker takes some of the group gear. And, if there is one hiker who is struggling the to keep up bit is up to everyone in the group to help and encourage him or her. Afterall, on a hike, as in life, we are all our brother’s keepers.
Finally, though I could say much more, what I like about the Mosh hikes is how they cultivate a sense of gratitude that reaches beyond feeling thankful for warm showers at camp. On Mosh hikes, chanichim notice and appreciate aspects of nature that they may never have seen before, like the Big Dipper shining in the night sky, or a beautiful vista that can only be seen by hiking out to that destination. On Mosh hikes Chanichim discover, perhaps on a level even greater than at camp, what it feels like to be truly cared for, included and an integral part of a small group. They also find out more about who they are as individuals and what they are capable of, and, as many have told me, in nature they have felt God’s presence as they marvel at the handiwork of the Eternal One, Who created the World.
So, yes, great things do happen on Mosh hikes as they happen on all of the Moshavah Tiyulim. There is so much more that could be said. Wow, this could be a very l-o-n-g blog, but alas Shabbat is on its way to OSRUI and I must prepare!! Hey, has anyone yet blogged about how wonderful Shabbat is at camp?! Well, I guess that’s another story for another time! Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Taron Tachman is the rabbi at Beth Tikvah Congregation in Hoffman Estates, IL and is serving as one of the faculty members in Moshavah Bet.