This past Wednesday night, I was at the Reich Village campout, where campers had just wrapped up dinner at the Solit farm and the smell of s’mores still hung in the air. Kids were getting ready to walk over to the lake to pitch their tents and sing together under the stars. As I was walking through, a camper came up to me and excitedly shared, “I caught 40 fireflies tonight!” Naturally, I expected him to show me a glowing mason jar. But before I could even respond, he added, almost offhandedly, “Of course I let each one go.”
That moment stuck with me. He wasn’t trying to keep them. He just wanted to see each one, enjoy the light, and then release it.
This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Masei, opens with a list of the 42 places the Israelites stopped on their journey through the wilderness. Some were long, others brief. Some were joyful, others challenging. But each stop is named. The Torah doesn’t rush through the journey, but instead it pauses to acknowledge every step along the way.
That camper reminded me of what the Torah is teaching: that even fleeting moments are sacred. They deserve to be noticed, named, and remembered.
Each summer at camp is like a firefly. It’s bright and beautiful, but we can’t hold onto it forever. When it’s time, we let it go, trusting that its light helped shape us.
This weekend is the first Shabbat of our Second Session, filled with new beginnings. And it’s also Third-Year Staff Shabbat, when we celebrate those who have chosen to return again and again, giving back to our community summer after summer. These are staff members who have experienced the glow of many summers, know how precious this time is, and continue to invest in cultivating transformative experiences for our campers.
To our third-year staff: while we wish we could bottle you up in a mason jar and keep you here forever, we know we can’t. What we can do is say thank you, for illuminating the magic of this community for us all.
As we welcome Shabbat, may we all take time to notice the glow around us. To name the stops along the way. And to hold this summer gently, appreciating all we have here at camp.
Shabbat Shalom,
Josh