by Rabbi Scott Segal, Moshavah Segel (Faculty)

Yesterday was Maccabiah (color war) on camp, when the chanachim (campers) break into four color teams (red, green, yellow and blue) and engage in a variety of sporting and artistic endeavors.  There is much to love about Maccabiah: seeing chanachim from different eidot (units) cheering for each other, the outpouring of spirit and enthusiasm that surpasses even the day-to-day ruach (spirit) that permeates the camp, the crazy cheers and outfits.  All of this is great, but what I found to be most inspiring today was the sense of healthy competition that guided the day’s activities.

We find ourselves in a world where we see a lot of unhealthy competition. Whether it is corporations harming the environment to save a few pennies, politicians smearing each other at every opportunity to win an election or professional athletes resorting to unethical or illegal means to gain an edge, there is a “win at all costs” attitude that has taken hold of much of our culture.

This is what makes Maccabiah so amazing. One might expect some of the chanachim to get angry or upset if they lose, to do whatever they can to find an edge.  One might expect the events of the day to carry over into dinner, when the chanachim are once again with their eidah, but I didn’t see it.  I sat at Moshavah’s dinner with a group of chanachim who had represented each of the different teams during the day; there was no boasting and no griping, everyone just talked about how much fun they had.

I have watched snippits of the Olympics online and wondered what it is about them that is so captivating.  I realized that for me it is the purity of emotion that so many of the athletes exhibit: the victorious screams of exultation, the heartbreaking cries of disappointment.  That same purity is evident at camp, in the love, joy and spirit that is shared by the chanachim and madrichim (counselors) each and every day.  It is inspiring and reminds me why so many people love this place so much.

Rabbi Scott Segal serves Congregation Am Echod in Lindenhurst, IL and is one of the faculty members in Moshavah Bet.