So is summer vacation a good thing?
Now there's nothing wrong with a little break every once in a while. But to allow the kids out of school for week's on end seems to be counter-productive. After all, throughout the year, the teachers expend great effort to transmit so much knowledge to their students. And it's not just the info, but parents and educators strive to instill good character traits, form good habits, create proper structure, cultivating good manners, proper respect, and conduct, etc.
Then, it's all over.
Bedtime routine? Out the window. Structure? Gone. Clean room? Forget about it (or as they say in NY, fugetaboutit!). Without review, their studies will likely regress. Their progress might decline. All our efforts wasted.
It's not just a practical thing. In the mystical text of the Zohar it states Tukfa D'gufa, Chulsha D'nishmasa - when the body gets stronger, the soul gets weaker. So whereas during the year the focus is on higher pursuits such as attaining knowledge and refining character, the summer can be more body focused. Getting that perfect tan, making that luscious smoothie, taking that dream trip to Hawaii.
The good news is, that this is all true only when we look at these two as contradictory. Choose body, or choose soul. However, if we can actually channel the summer warmth, the freedom from the usual confinement, the happier moods, now we are talking. Instead of a decline, we can flip it to incredible progress and achievement in leaps bounds that would be all but impossible on the normal track. That smoothie now becomes the fuel to a better self, and by extension, a better world.
This is the beauty of Camp Aleph. A place where the children have so much fun, and at the same time, the kids are learning the Alef Bet and Tefilah (prayers), about having good Middos(character traits), about Shabbat candles, Zrizut (doing things with speed and alacrity), Tzedakah(charity), and so much more.
With a summer like this, you can be sure these campers (more than 30!) will come back to school refreshed and energized and ready to take on the new year!
Please take a few minutes to browse through the camp photos - you'll feel like you are part of the fun!
This week was an absolute blast (I'm so glad Shabbat is here for a much needed day of rest). Yet I can't wait for next week when the good gets even better.
From the Rabbi's Desk
Is Summer Terrible?
A personal story with the Rebbe
This Shabbos (the 3rd of Tammuz) marks the day when 24 years ago, the Rebbe physically passed on. It is a day of reflection about what the Rebbe stood for.
Growing up just blocks from the Rebbe's Shul, I merited to have quite a few interactions with the Rebbe, despite my being just a child. Whether it was sitting at a Farbrengen (a gathering at which the Rebbe would share words of Torah, interspersed with lively and soulful melodies), or it was receiving a piece of honeycake before Yom Kippur.
However, there is one that stands out, clearly etched in my mind. I was seven years old, and
accompanied my mother, may she live and be well, and sister to 770 (the address of the synagogue, by which it came to be known). The beepers had gone off notifying people around the neighborhood that something special was happening.
Sometimes the Rebbe might be handing out dollar bills to be given to charity. Other times, it might be a newly printed text of Torah explained in the light of Chassidic thought. It was always an opportunity to interact personally with the Rebbe for a short moment, and receive his blessing. Long lines would form, as everyone awaited their turn to pass by where he stood, sometimes for hours on end.
This time, as we got to 770, I remember being surprised that there was no line stretching down the block. We were late. We were ushered through the rear doors, and still no line. As we rounded the corner and the Rebbe came into view at the far end near the Holy Ark, one last person had just received a booklet and was now leaving. As we made our way across, with the Yeshiva boys singing on the sides, it dawned on me, that the Rebbe was waiting for... us. It was no longer me among thousands of others. There were no more esteemed Torah scholars, co
mmunity leaders, or otherwise important figures on the line. The Rebbe was waiting for a boy, his sister, and their mom.
This to me exemplifies who the Rebbe truly was, and what I can try and emulate. Yes, he was a proficient Torah scholar and a leader of world Jewry. But ultimately, the Rebbe cared about every individual, seeing every single Jew as absolutely precious. This was his life's mission in establishing Chabad centers across the globe, to make it possible that no Jew will be left behind, and every single individual should have a place to call home.
Devorah and I are privileged to be his representatives here in Petaluma and hope to carry his bright torch forward, caring for every single Jew.
To learn more about the Rebbe, visit www.JewishPetaluma.com/TheRebbe
Mission Impossible?
Bad news. Mission impossible. Abort immediately.
This is the negative report that the spies brought back after scouting out the land of Canaan. Tales of giants roaming the streets, cities fortified with walls, unfriendly territory. In fact, they brought back massive fruit (8 spies were needed to carry a single bushel of grapes) to demonstrate how huge and mighty the inhabitants were.
After the Jewish nation collectively freaked out, they earned themselves 40 years of desert travel. If they only had a bit of faith, they would have realized that, with G-d on their side, the giants didn't even pose a threat.
In our 20/20 hindsight, we cannot fathom how the very same group who saw miracle after miracle lost faith so quickly. Ten plagues, splitting of the sea, manna falling from the heaven, the list goes on and on. A simple task li
ke conquering a country should be within Hashem's miracle-performing comfort zone. Why the hysteria?
The answer is that even with all the miracles, we are still human, and live in a world that operates on a natural plane. So the supernatural remains unnatural and counter-intuitive. No matter how many miracles you've experienced, when a lion is roaring right at you, it frightens the living daylights out of you. When hearing that they were up against 31 kings, and seeing the sheer size of the produce, they couldn't help but be paralyzed by fear.
It actually required a superhuman effort for Joshua and Caleb, two out of the twelve spies, to remain undaunted and optimistic.
But that's the goal. And why we spent 40 years in the desert. To become more comfortable with the extraordinary. To realize that nature itself is Hashem's creation, and therefore cannot obstruct us from accomplishing our divine mission. True we live in nature, but we are also given the power to rise above it.
We can be a Caleb. We can be a Jewish superhero.
Only 10 days left until "Camp Aleph Superheroes" begins!
Join the 30 campers already signed up at CampAleph.com or sponsor a "campership" and be a child's superhero.
Too Good
If you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, grew up with not a care in the world, and had your every whim attended to, would that be awesome?
This is what life was like in the desert. The Jews had the heavenly Manna, Miriam's well water, the Clouds of Glory shielding them from the blazing sun and venomous scorpions. They had no job to be on time for, no bills to pay, no creditors knocking on the cloud, not even wifi. They lived a life that transcended the mundane. They could dedicate their days to Torah study and spiritual pursuit.
And yet, they weren't happy. They complained. Really?! That's like taking your child to Disneyland and while on the ride with an ice cream in hand, saying I'm bored.
So here's a deeper perspective.
While Disney might be a nice place to visit, it's not suitable for everyday life. While a 5-star resort may cater to your every need, it doesn't actually leave room for you to accomplish, to advance, to grow.
What the Jews wanted was to experience struggle, to be challenged, and to come out stronger, to be victorious.
This was ultimately not a good approach, because we shouldn't actively put ourselves in a precarious position. However, when we do face an uphill battle, and it feels like we are swimming against the tide, let's remember; Hashem placed us in this world to achieve, to accomplish, and ultimately to make ourselves and the world better than before.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom!