Schechter Campers at Teva (nature) had awesome outdoor experiences this week! Shorashim campers got to experience fire building and learned how to make one-match fires. They learned what fires need, how to build safe fires, and where fire is found in our Jewish tradition (Ner Tamid, the flame above the ark, why we light candles for all our holidays, and the fire in the Mishkan). They also learned the word for “fire” in Hebrew, “Esh,” as well as the word for “fire” in Spanish, “fuego.” We created a one-match fire club board that recognizes campers who were able to make a one-match fire. These campers get to have their name placed on the fire board and prominently displayed in the center of camp, on the Teva shed.
Nitzanim and Anafim campers not only learned about fires, but also learned how to whittle with knives. They learned knife safety and how to make chop sticks. Some of our campers got to whittle wands for Harry Potter Day! Campers also learned the word for “knife” in Hebrew, “sakin,” as well as where knives are found in the Torah and Jewish tradition (Abraham took a knife to kill Isaac on Mt. Moriah, but killed a ram instead, a Schochet uses a very long and sharp knife to ritually slaughter kosher animals, and Brit Milah/circumcision.
Another highlight that campers experienced was learning how to harvest Stinging Nettles and eat them without getting stung! This led into learning the blessing for eating food from the ground (Boreh Pri HaAdamah) and how we are formed by the food we eat!
