friends and neighbors. Of course, there are the snacks (sorry parents!), sweet additions to already sweet experiences, a delightful and delicious taste of home.
These visits and the letters I receive from our Habonim members from camp asking me my favorite color (purple), favorite food (watermelon), and favorite song (oseh shalom) emphasize the significant way in which we build community by coming to know one another through intentional relationships. Interactions of this kind help us travel together and learn about our destinations and our journeys. Travel itineraries and the starts and stops of individual and collective journey are at the heart of this week's parasha, Matot-Mas'ei and beg the age-old question, which is more important, the destination or the journey. Mas'ei begins, these were the travels of the Israelites who started out from the land of Egypt....Moses recorded their going outs/starting points of their travels, as directed by the Holy One. And these were their travels to their starting points. In chronicling the itinerary of the wilderness journey, the Torah deliberately holds starts and stops, movement and haltings in relationship with one another. Both as we live into our experiences and as we go back to review and recall them, we can notice the rhythm of our travels and the stages of our journey. The chiastic formation of the Torah's teaching reminds us that getting where we are going demands constant setting forth, stepping into the next adventure, often without knowing how it will play out.
My camp visits always demonstrate lives of perseverance, joy, fun, hope, and enthusiasm for life. Our children (young and older) remind me that sometimes life is about both the destination and the journey, like earning one's lifeguard certification, trying snorkeling when you were previously afraid of the water (and fish!), sleeping on the top bunk, or even trying a new food. Most important, telling the stories over and over and over again, we learn how crucial all of our experiences are to who and how we are as human beings, and as members of community in the world. Like our ancestors, we learn to celebrate and wrap our arms around challenges, knowing we have one another to hold us up.
Today marks the final day of Ann Cohen's work as our Communications Coordinator at Habonim. We thank Ann for three years of dedication, humor, flexibility, and good will. May the next steps of her journeys be filled with blessing.
Today is also the first day of the Hebrew month of Av, the nine days leading up to Tisha B'Av, the commemoration of the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem, and other catastrophes to befall our people throughout history. These days are ones of intentional diminishment. We refrain from eating meat (except on Shabbat), drinking wine, and cutting our hair. Tisha B'Av marks the beginning of the High Holy Day cycle and season, our move from alienation to reconnection. This, too, is part of our journey. For this month's blessing, I offer these words from the T'fillat HaDerekh/Journey Prayer I crafted for our 2022 High School Senior Class.
May you be blessed to see the world around you in its fullest and the gifts you have to offer, hear the call to friendship and opportunity, speak with confidence and curiosity, act in ways that build up and connect, and stop to smell the roses. May you live most fully into your experiences and embrace challenges with strength. May joy and wonder fill your life, and may you find time to sleep. May you be blessed to find the path that makes you most who you are. May you make the most of your journeys finding moments of peace. Travel well and fully, at your own pace. Bring your unique spark wherever you go.
Shabbat Shalom and Hodesh Tov,
rg
