Parashat Bamidbar, Shavuot, and the Wilderness Journey of Summer at Jacobs Camp

This Shabbat we read from the first Torah portion of the book of Numbers, Parashat Bamidbar. Bamidbar is also the Hebrew name for the book of Numbers, and it means “in the wilderness”. This is a fitting title for where we find ourselves in the Jewish story — the Israelites are still wandering the desert and are quite literally in the wilderness as Moses receives the latest batch of instructions from G-d.

We’re also just about to experience another important moment in the Jewish calendar: the upcoming holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot calls back to an earlier Torah portion from the book of Exodus, Parashat Yitro, in which the Israelites first receive the 10 Commandments. Shavuot commemorates this moment, and in our celebrations we remember this ecstatic and awe-inspiring moment of revelation.

In most years we read Parashat Bamidbar just before Shavuot, and if that isn’t enough for our calendars, this year we are also blessed to welcome our counselors to Jacobs Camp for staff training right as we welcome the holiday! To me, this is no coincidence, rather, it is the perfect way to begin this summer’s holy work.

When I pass through the trees on my way into Jacobs Camp, I always feel as if I am entering a sort of midbar, a wilderness of my own. In the Torah, the wilderness is a special place, somewhere you have to go to engage in the mysterious process of “becoming”. The wilderness is where Abraham wanders to find a new home, it is where Jacob wrestles with an angel to become Yisrael, and it is where the Israelite people journeys, receives the Torah, and grows into a mature and holy people. The wilderness is where we are transformed. Each time I come to camp, I feel a new opportunity to become the person I want to be.

We are also preparing for a revelation of our own here at camp. We are preparing to pass on the Torah of Jacobs Camp to this summer’s staff. Over the next week we will train and learn together, and try to soak up all the knowledge we can in order to give our campers the best summer ever. This Torah, this teaching, is not one to be taken lightly. By becoming the best staff members they can be, our counselors are preparing to guide our campers through a midbar that looks a little different for every single child. For some, this summer is the first time they are leaving home. For others, this summer is an opportunity to try a new lake toy, test themselves on the Challenge Course, or learn a new skill. For others still, this summer is an opportunity to push their comfort zone by making new friends and learning to live in community.

As we read Parashat Bamidbar and learn about the Israelites’ continued adaptation to life in the wilderness and bring in Shavuot, our commemoration of receiving the Torah, we have the opportunity to receive our staff and ask ourselves some important questions:

How will we teach the next generation of staff and campers?

How will we learn from each other?

How will we be transformed by another summer at Jacobs Camp?

Shabbat Shalom.