There’s something special about the final week of a session. By now, the routines have become second nature, friendships are deeper, and everywhere you turn, it just feels like home. We’ve learned each other’s rhythms, shared countless smiles, and created memories that are hard to put into words. Our cabins become more than just buildings. They become communities.
At camp, our shared spaces are not just places to sleep; they are reflections of how we live together. This is an idea reflected in our weekly Torah portion, Parshat Balak. In it, we hear the words:
“Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov, mishkenotecha Yisrael.”
“How good are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel.”
This line offers a powerful reminder that how we live together matters. The way we treat each other, the way we show up for one another, and the community we create all matters.
This week, we’ve seen the truly expansive nature of our tents here at Capital Camps. Our LITs began their journey through Central Europe, carrying the spirit of camp with them as they travel. We welcomed a new Yalla group of first-time campers who jumped right into the energy of camp life. And we opened our tents even wider as we embraced a cohort of Israeli Legacy Camp participants who are joining us for the final ten days of first session. Our camp community is both rooted and mobile, growing in size and stretching across the world.
And while after next week most of our campers will no longer be living in a tent or cabin, my hope is that they will all ask themselves the following question: what from this space can I carry into the year ahead?
Will it be the way friends cheered for one another during Maccabiah?
Will it be the conversations that fill the moments between programs with meaning and depth?
Will it be the ruach (spirit) filled energy of Shabbat at camp?
Mah tovu asks us to make our dwelling places special, wherever we go next. To take the best of what we have built here at camp and find ways to bring it into our schools, homes, and friendships in the months ahead, with the goal of creating a better tent for all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh Micley