As Shabbat nears, I’m enjoying my second full day at Greene Family Camp (GFC), in Bruceville, Texas, our region’s Union for Reform Judaism summer camp. This year, our region will send over 850 Jewish children to camp in two sessions. I lost count how many years I’ve been coming to GFC to serve as a visiting rabbi. From the number of “Faculty” t-shirts in my closet it seems that the years are adding up. What does a rabbi do at camp? Teaching in shorts and t-shirts, not a suit, and sitting on the ground or the floor of a cabin, not behind a desk or on the bemah, is just the beginning of a rabbi’s week at camp. We also actively participate in programming and worship experiences with campers, many of whom come from our own congregations.
And for the campers? It’s not all education and worship. The campers have archery, zip-line, ropes course, boating, mountain biking, art, photography, and Alpine Tower, to name just a few activities. If it’s education, it’s because they learn a lot about new interests and skills. If it’s worship, it’s because at the end of the day they might thank God for the strength to do it all and for another day to do more.
Walking across camp today, I saw the staircase that leads campers to the top and starting point of the zip-line. God bless the kids who hurl themselves across the open field on a wire to the other side of camp. When I look across, I see an abyss; when they look across they probably see a forest of trees in the rainforest, and if they can just reach the other side they will get the treasure waiting for them. Honestly, I can’t see any other reason to hurl oneself down a wire and over a field if not for a great fantasy.
Maybe that’s the best reason for coming to camp. Loui Dobin, Director of GFC, said to all the campers last night that time at GFC is like Shabbat, because it’s set apart for special time and experiences. It’s eating with friends, playing all day, learning and praying under the sky, and even flying down a wire or climbing high on a tower for no reason except it’s there and you’re a kid. I don’t fly and I don’t climb, but I love watching the campers scream with joy as they test themselves and fulfill their fantasies at GFC.
This week at camp, I’ll give a D’var Torah at Shabbat morning services. I’ll be in shorts and a t-shirt and the campers will be on the floor. In the weekly portion, Korah (Numbers 16:1ff) and his henchmen confront Moses and Aaron to demand that he give up his authority which they claim he holds over the community. “You have gone too far!” exclaims Korah, “For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Lord’s congregation?” Moses reminds Korah that he, Korah, is already set apart for sacred service. Korah is a Levite who’s given the responsibility of serving the priests who serve in the Tent of Meeting, and to minister to the community. “Chutzpah” is Korah’s crime. So Moses set up a test. He said, “If these men die as all men do, it was not the Lord who sent me; but if the Lord brings about something unheard of, so that the earth opened its mouth wide and swallowed them up…you shall know that these men have spurned the Lord.” Just then, the ground under Korah and his men burst open and swallowed them up.
Moses never denied anyone a place in the community, and Korah already held an important position. It reminds me of the teaching in Mishnah, “In a place where there isn’t a qualified individual to serve, strive to be that person.” The corollary is, “In a place where there is a qualified individual already serving, do not interrupt his or her work.” Korah learned the hard way that there are boundaries. Everyone has a sacred task to do in a community filled with God’s presence. Forcing oneself on the community leads to disastrous personal results; but, seeking to participate in a healthy and mindful way can, presumably, lead to some positive outcomes.
At camp, the children are part of a sacred community that has embraced them with a marvelous place to learn, to worship and to dream about their role in the Jewish community in the future. Without question, some of these kids will be future rabbis, cantors, and educators. But, frankly, if they were just dedicated Jewish men and women who made it possible for their children to come to GFC, and find joy in Judaism, too, that would be a blessing! Come to think of it, maybe it isn’t just the kids flying from “treetops” and climbing towers who are dreaming. I dream, too, and I know you join me in the hope we share that these campers will see their places in the community where God dwells among us as seeds that will sprout and flourish in years to come. God willing.
From my desk to yours, Shabbat Shalom.
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