Wow, what a first week it has been. We have been having so much fun in Limud (our Jewish Education component to camp). This summer we changed things around a little in Limud. We are having Limud every day, and have also played with how the hour works. This summer, the theme for Limud is “Who Are the People In Your (Biblical) Neighborhood.” We are exploring different biblical characters and how these specific characters relate to different Mitzvot (commandments). The campers have enjoyed hearing the biblical stories through both narratives and skits. They have had great discussions on how they can relate to the characters and the Mitzvot, most importantly they have actively engaged in different activities to help them get a better understanding of the Mitzvah.
To give you an example, in Limud with Rishonim, a skit was preformed to tell the story of how Jacob stole the birthright from his brother Esau. After the skit we discussed if tricking Isaac was a nice or mean thing to do. We related it to the Mitzvah of “do not place a stumbling block.” We talked and shared about people we know who have different disabilities and how we can help them and make sure we don’t trick them. Next we divided up into groups and participated in an obstacle course. This wasn’t a normal obstacle course, as we had some team members who were blindfolded and couldn’t see, some that couldn’t talk and some that couldn’t hear. Everyone had a chance to be each kind of team member. After that we got 
together and had a great discussion about how it felt to be the team member who was blindfolded, the team member who couldn’t talk and the team member who couldn’t hear. If you just heard the discussion, you would have no clue these campers were going into 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade! Wow, did they get it!
It has been so great walking around camp hearing all of the positive comments coming from campers and staff about Limud this year. A lot of campers are saying how they can’t believe it really is Limud, they are having so much fun!
June 19, 2013
