Issue 3 - July 19, 2013 - Gesher Summer Camp

Page 4Gesher GazetteJokes of the DayFrom Deep Deep Down in the Archivesof Jokedom!Monday:What kind of cars do cows drive?Cattle LacsTuesday: No CampWednesday:Why do sharks swim in salt water?Because pepper water would makethem sneezeThursday:What goes OOOOM OOOOM?A cow walking backwards.Friday:What color is a burp?Rabbi RichBurpleGesher Mitzvah of the Week: "Teffilah" ( prayer)Shabbat candle lighting time: 8:07 PMTorah Portion of the Week: VaetchananShabbat ends: 9:07 PM"Shabbat Nachamu"Week 3 Mitzvah Award Winners: KB2, B1A, SrBTarbutIt is so easy to take for granted the many things we have to be grateful for—having a home with a lovely family to care for us each day, being able toappreciate the fun and excitement of summer in a camp setting, and the opportunity to do nice things for one another. At the end of every lunch period atGesher, we always show our appreciation for how fortunate we are to have food on the table by singing the Birkat Hamazon (Grace after Meals) withmuch ruach (spirit).This week’s Torah portion reminds us that we can’t make assumptions by taking life for granted. In one of themost famous stories mentioned in the Bible, Moses, the great leader of the Jewish people, is nearing the end of his lifeand realizes that he hasn't reached his ultimate goal—namely entry into the Promised Land of Israel. Moses was sodisappointed by G-d's decision to ban him from Israel (as a result of a public sin he committed earlier in the Bible), thathe pleaded with G-d to grant him his one final request—but it was to no avail.One of the lessons we learn from this story is that we can’t take life for granted. We should appreciate each day as itcomes and be grateful to G-d for His blessings. As we lie down each night to go to sleep, rather than dwell on thenegatives, we should reflect on our day and strive to find the positive in every situation.We look forward to a great rest of the summer.StringArtGesher Summer 2013 is off to a great start,As we weave and lace and bead with Irina at String Art!Making keychains with flowers was very exciting,Making visors with buttons and lacing was inviting,Stringing necklaces we learned about pattern anddesign,Doing lanyard at Chug was just going fine.Even Kinneret learned to weave and tie knots,Negev did super with their new stitches and learnedlots,Galil surprised all withtheir skill as they woreThose friendship andparachute bracelets andmore!~IrinaIn Tarbut campers have the opportunity to learnabout Israeli culture. This week the campers got tolisten to a great story called, "A Flat for Rent" (DiraLehaskir) by Leah Goldberg. This is a classicfavorite in Israeli children's literature. The story issimple but has a profound message.Another favorite is the army uniforms. Thecampers learned all about what it means to be inthe Israeli army and all of the important jobs thatyou can have. One of the activities the camperswere able to partake in was writing letters orcoloring pictures to be sentto the soldiers in Israel.Lots of awesome activities tolook forward to this summerin Tarbut! Coming up willbe discussions of thesimilarities and differencesof Israeli vs Americanculture!~HadasJuly 19, 2013Av 12, 5773Shabbat Shalom to all!Rabbi Rich