Twenty-five years ago this summer, I sat down with a group of about fifteen people to plan what would become an unforgettable overnight camp. This would be the first overnight camp specifically dedicated to the philosophy of Mordecai Kaplan and the Reconstructionist movement. For two days, we discussed every element of camp life. What bunks would be called, to how flow of the day would work. As a first year rabbinical student, I was honored to be included with seasoned rabbis and communal leaders. Being there meant I had a stake in what would become Camp Havaya, a camp that would one day become a central place for both myself and my family.
I spent the past week immersing myself in camp life. As one of the camp rabbis, I have had a chance to teach, lead services, and meet and interact with a new generation of leaders. Now in its 23rd summer, the camp that I helped to dream up in the offices of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation has fully come to life. Hundreds of students and counselors, including all three of my children, have enjoyed the product of our labors. I even have a poem in the new camp prayer book.
This feeling of satisfaction is exactly where the book of Numbers ends. In Matot-Masei, the Torah recounts every place the Israelites camped in the wilderness. Jericho and the Promised Land beckons, a bright future lies right over the horizon. It is important we savor these moments; they are reminders that the struggle and the challenge had merit. Make note of your own journeys, the impact you have helped to make in the world around you. Savor that feeling. It is truly holy. As we say on the completion of a book of Torah: Chazak, Chazak, v’Nitchazek, Strengthen, Strengthen, May We All Be Strengthened!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex