Wilderness and Desert are the two English words we use to translate the word במדבר/BaMidbar. Well, more accurately, in the wilderness or in the desert. Why do the Israelites spend so long wandering in the desert or the wilderness? Why does our history begin in a place that lacked so much? It’s as if we began our story with a blank canvas and have painted it ever since.
This week, we begin the fourth book of the תורה/Torah called במדבר. Again, our story only happens when we’re in a place that we have to fill with experiences and meaning. Our story only begins when we’re in a place where we can transform without others. It’s in the wilderness where the magic happened.
Sunday night we’ll celebrate the transformational moment in the wilderness where we went from being newly freed former slaves to a people in a covenantal relationship with God. We’ll stand together as we receive the תורה anew. As Jews, the תורה “wasn’t” given, but rather it “is” given. The תורה is continuously given to the Jewish people on a daily, minute by minute basis. Revelation is continual and eternal. While we celebrate the giving of the תורה on שבועות/Shavuot, it needs to be seen as the beginning of Revelation, but not the entirety of Revelation. All of this took place at an ordinary mountain in the wilderness.
I’m often asked why I spend a month every summer at a summer camp. I’m asked about why I spend “time-off” working. The answer is there’s no greater laboratory of Judaism than Jewish summer camp. There’s no better place to experience the Jewish People and Judaism than summer camp. To begin with, we transplant city dwellers into the wilderness. Every day we’re with the trees. Every night we’re with the stars. Our services are held in spaces not designed by humans, but decorated by God. We have the opportunity to experience the closest thing to the wilderness that our ancestors were in when our people formed.
Last summer, the holiday of שבועות/Shavuot fell a bit later than normal and this meant we celebrated Shavuot at camp. We were concerned about what this would mean for the campers and their fun and enjoyment, but what we actually discovered was that it was an enormous opportunity for all of us: campers and staff. On the first day of שבועות last year when we arrived at the תורה reading, I led all the campers up the mountain at camp for the תורה reading. We ascended the mountain to receive the תורה and it was majestic. Not everyone appreciated my creative flourish, but those of us who leaned into the experience were blessed with a new way of celebrating שבועות.
As I prepare to leave for my month at camp, I want to remind you that I’m just two hours away and continue to be available by email. I won’t be able to respond as quickly as I’d like to, but I will work my way through my emails as the days move along. As summer begins, I want to encourage all of us to take time outside to connect with the wilderness. Connect with the sunrises and sunsets. Connect with the stars and trees. Connect with the world as God created it, and through the creation, connect with the Creator.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Hearshen
Weekly Service Times
Click here to visit our Weekly Services page for service and candlelighting times in the Spiritual Life section on our website.
Schedule Change
The next Saturday Evening Service and Shabbat Together will be held in July.
