It’s crazy to think this first week is already at an end! We had a great first week, it started by getting to know each other with a quick ice breaker. Then we went straight to work by helping sort out the snacks and setting up the lunch room.
On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings we joined the camp for some special activities. On Tuesday we watched the Chicago Boyz do their flips and tricks. On Wednesday we jammed out to some tunes from Shlock Rock. On Wednesday we also went out for a treat to acknowledge all our hard work–we got ice cream from Haagen Dazs.
After eating lunch in the first shift we help serve it to the second shift. After lunch our afternoons have been filled with various jobs around camp. We help out with whatever specialty needs it at the time. We have done everything from cutting Tefillah Tickets for the chinuch staff to laminating signs for the camp to helping set up for Tie-Dye and many jobs in between.
Thursday night some of us also stayed after camp to enjoy a staff night activity which included sushi and Tye-Dying staff shirts.
Hope everyone is looking forward to a restful shabbas before another busy week!!
In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Chukas, Moshe is punished for hitting the rock when he was supposed to talk to it. His punishment was that he was not allowed to go into Eretz Yisroel. It makes us ask why was Moshe rebuked so severely for something as small as hitting a rock?
Not only did Moshe not listen to the word of Hashem, but he also proved he was not qualified to lead the new generation. The generation he led out of Mitzrayim was one that was used to slavery. This is why in Parshas Beshalach, Hashem commands Moshe to hit the rock. This was in order to help relate the miracle to a people who were used to these kind of actions. This new generation of people knew nothing about slavery. So, all Moshe needed to do was speak to the rock in order to relate this miracle to the people, a people who more accustomed to just words. But, he lost his temper and made a fatal error. This proved that Moshe was no longer qualified to the new generation. Rather, Yehoshua needed to step in and take his place.
Moshe is among the greatest leaders to ever live. It was only because he lost his temper that he committed this sin that resulted in not being able to enter into Eretz Yisroel. This should be a lesson to all of us that even the best of people make mistakes but we should still be careful to stay calm even in the most stressful of situations.