Carrie, Galit and I arrived back home this week from our month at camp. Ayelet will be there for another month since it’s her last year as a camper. I want to thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to go to camp each summer. It might sound crazy to have a rabbi in his mid-forties spend four weeks each summer at a summer camp, but it’s so important.
Each summer, I’m immersed in a laboratory of Jewish life. Each summer, I get to experiment and learn new approaches to Jewish prayer, teaching and observance. Each summer, I get to connect with colleagues and deeply connected lay leaders. Over our time together we brainstorm, problem-solve, and explore how to make our communities stronger and more connected. Each summer I have the chance to learn and prepare for the upcoming year. I spend a great deal of time at camp strategizing for my year of speaking and teaching. In addition to all these professional gains I amass each summer, I’m also able to spend a great deal of time on my own growth as a person and as a Jew. I get to work on my spirituality. I get to learn for the sake of learning. I get to connect with friends. I get to create art, climb the climbing wall, hike, swim and more. I also have the opportunity to spend meaningful and irreplaceable time with Carrie and Galit. And while Ayelet is in a cabin each summer, I get to see her every day and spend precious moments with her as she continues to grow and develop into her own Jewish person. All I can say are two important words: thank you.
In פרשת חקת/Parshat Chukat we witness the beginning of the end of a legacy. Towards the beginning of the פרשה/Parsha we see the death of מרים/Miriam and towards the end we see the death of אהרן/Aaron. The three siblings, מרים, אהרן, and משה/Moshe had been leading our people since the days of our enslavement. This week, we start to see the beginning of that ending. With the death of מרים at the beginning, and the death of אהרן at the end, we no longer had them to lead us. In-between their deaths, we also learn of the eventual demise of משה. Our ancestors were complaining about not having water to drink and God told משה and אהרן to talk to a rock to get water from it. Instead of doing that, משה struck the rock twice with his staff. God told משה that because he didn’t have enough faith in God, he would not get to cross into the Promised Land. With that, we learn of the transition of our leadership from one generation to the next. The proper way to transition is displayed when there’s a public transfer of the power of the High Priest from אהרן to his son. This act is necessary to show that we are part of a continuing chain of tradition and legitimacy.
Each year at camp I witness the continuation of this process of generation to generation. We continue to transmit our legacy from one generation to the next. I watch as all my fears of the future are abated by the full display of joyful Judaism that Jewish Summer Camp gives us. My fears are brushed to the side each year when the campers return and say “hi Rabbi Josh” and show me I’m making an impact and transmitting my legacy to them. Each summer I’m reminded we have a bright and sunny (pardon the pun) future in our youth. We always have this same opportunity with or without summer camp. Each of us has the chance to transmit our legacies to future generations. Each of us has the opportunity to pass along the gifts we’ve inherited, or chosen, to those coming after us. This is the greatest and most attainable form of eternal life and one we all must seize the chance to have.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Hearshen
Weekly Services
Click here to visit our Weekly Services page for service and candlelighting times in the Spiritual Life section on our website.
Shabbat Together is back on July 12
BIRTHDAYS
Shabbat Taylor Benatar Sunday Emily Hannah Falkenstein Ileana Gabrielle Galanti
Monday Marilyn Bernstein Neil Cooper
Wednesday Ilene Renee Tuck Jacqueline DeFrancis
Thursday Jolie Feiss
Friday David Maslia Larry Benator Megan Ichay Russell Falkenstein Sarah Duwell
ANNIVERSARIES Tuesday Alan and Susan Franco
Friday Sidney and Susan Tourial
Meldados
Shabbat Byron S. Cohen Rahel Galanti Sunday Mary Benatar Irwin Diamond Lenora Levy Berl Hearshen Benjamin Glass
