Rabbinic Reflection: Rabbi Eliza McCarroll

Shalom Holy Blossom, 

As I write to you, I just got back (an hour or two ago) from an overnight stay at URJ Camp George, our proudly Canadian Reform Jewish Camp. 

In preparing to welcome for the first session on Sunday, the staff are busy with their training week. 

Sitting on both the Camp Council and Faculty, it was a joy and privilege to be asked to come and assist specifically with supporting the Education team (the Director of Jewish Life and the song-leaders), and to run an after-hours program to help the staff bond, where they could simply have a bit of fun after a busy day of learning and organizing. 

Yes, it was special to spend time up at the beautiful Maple Lake – pictures below! It always is.  

The spectacular scenery brings to mind this week’s parasha, Chukat-Balak, in which the prophet Bal’am, despite orders from the King Balak, is unable to utter a curse upon the Israelites. 

Instead, our God, the God of Israel, compels him to utter blessings instead, including the well-known words: 

מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃  

How good are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel! 

In this verse, you can see the word “Mishkan”, which means a dwelling place, or a Sanctuary. 

However, with these words often opening our worship services, we know that this refers to more than a physical space, gorgeous though it may be.  

To me, what makes camp a Mishkan was watching the ways in which the staff have already come together as a team and as a community to create the most magical experience for their campers and themselves over the next seven weeks. 

Whilst camp is a steep learning curve, the energy and engagement they were bringing was a fantastic sign of all the “tov”, all the good, to come. 

As a seasoned camp professional in my previous, pre-rabbi life, this is the best we can hope for: to have that Sanctuary in our lives to see growth, to see confidence, and to see a drawing closer to our Jewish identities, whether it is the staff or the campers. It’s a truly rewarding experience. 

It is also Jewish education at its finest: immersive, informal, fun, and when we form the tightest of friendships. 

So, with the end of school approaching, for all those headed to camp (Camp George or otherwise!), we wish them a safe and happy summer. 

In looking ahead to the next year of Jewish education for your children and grandchildren, the fun can thankfully continue. 

We are delighted that, after camp season, in the Fall, our Youth Education Centre begins an exciting new chapter as The Honourable Irwin Cotler School of Holy Blossom Temple.  

Continuing these themes of belonging, identity, and connection – building our own Mishkan here at HBT – we can bring that spirit and that blessing with us all year long.   

Click here for more information and registration. 

Mah tovu – how good, and how blessed, are we, as we shape the next generation of Jewish leaders. The future is bright.