Parshat Balak: From beautiful tents to spilled slushies

Dear Camper Parents,

There is something truly special about prayer at camp.

At camp, prayer takes on a new meaning. In this week’s Torah portion, Balak, we read the story of the prophet Balaam who is hired to curse the Israelites during their journey through the desert. When Balaam looks out over the Israelites from atop a mountain, instead of a curse, words of blessing come out of Balaam’s mouth. He says: “Ma tovu ohalekha Ya’akov, mishk’notekha Yisra’el, translated as “How great are your tents Jacob, your dwelling places Israel.” We often start morning services at camp with these words and there is something special about singing them with the backdrop of tents and dwelling places where we are creating a beautiful community.

Prayer is also special at camp because it can happen anywhere. Earlier in the week I came upon one of our youngest boys cabins (8-years-old or so) who had just been to the canteen – our camp store. The boys called me over to tell me that one of them had spilled his red slushie (a camp favorite!) on the ground. I was prepared to comfort these boys, but oddly the spilled drink did not seem to upset them at all. Instead, they excitedly told me that the spilled slushie was like the Red Sea and the ants now walking through it were like the Jews leaving Egypt. I asked them what prayer we sing at camp that is about us being thankful for our freedom from Egypt and they quickly answered, “Mi Chamocha,” We, of course, did the only logical thing at that point, which was to sing Mi Chamocha together, crowded around a spilled red slushie with ants walking through it!

At camp prayer can be special because it is something we are excited to do together. On Thursday morning we gathered together as one camp community for services as part of our Maccabiah Games (color wars). The service started with a song based on the words: “Zeh Hayom Asah Adonai Nagilah V’nismecha Bo,” meaning: “This is the day that God has made, be happy and rejoice in it.” The campers and staff were singing passionately in excitement for the day’s Maccabiah competitions (where everyone did a great job whether playing sports, singing, or doing art!). I was standing on the edge of the group and suddenly a camper who had stepped away came running back toward services. He was almost in a full sprint and at the top of his lungs he was singing “Zeh Hayom…” When he got to the Bitan (pavilion) where we were all together he stopped running abruptly and went to join his color team, but kept singing loudly. It was amazing to see his excitement in that moment of being able to sing and pray as part of a community!

I share these stories to give you a sense of the moments that happen every day at camp. For those of you whose campers are coming home on Sunday, you will likely hear about the swimming pool, fun with new friends, and the chance to climb the tower, but don’t be surprised if you also hear something about prayer and services. For those of you whose campers are with us for a few more weeks, we are excited to keep having these moments of prayer together at camp. To all of you, thank you for sharing your children with us this summer and giving them the opportunity to have these kinds of experiences.

Shabbat Shalom,

Solly