Camp & the Oneness at the Heart of the Universe

Dear Peanut,

I feel regret that it’s been so long since I added to this blog. The end of the programmatic year in synagogue life is a bit of a whirlwind, and we were blessed with family simchas to celebrate, too. Yet, I want to make sure that I continue my promise of an ongoing written legacy to you.

Today is another first for you. I just dropped you off at your first day of a new summer camp. It is a different environment for you. Unlike your Jewish pre-school (from which you graduated a few weeks ago), this is a secular program filled with kids from all backgrounds, and you’ll be exploring through camp activities children’s stories from around the world. From every which way, you’ll be exposed to new friends, new ideas, new customs.

I have some nervousness at your leaving the comfort and safety of an explicitly Jewish school, but I’m excited for you, too. You are the proverbial sponge—your eyes are wide open and your ears hear every nuance. In unexpected moments you return to the world the new word, novel observation or the unusual theory about how the universe operates. Daddy and I feel we would be shortchanging you as parents if we did not offer you opportunities to grow in these exhilarating ways.

This balancing of your Judaism with respect for what the world can teach you will be a life-long experience for you. In part, it is your birthright. As you get older, this will become abundantly clearer to you. As you already know, Daddy has chosen to be a Jew as an adult and his Jewish identity is built upon a rich heritage and deep familial ties to another remarkable culture. As your parents, we value all that has gone into making you you—all the centuries of lived experience on all branches of your family tree—while still cultivating and nourishing your Jewish soul.

While I’m mindful of this process and the pitfalls we may encounter, I’m not worried about it. I think your early childhood is a good basis for your life. You spend your days energized by the diverse adventures of the world around you. And at night, when we snuggle, you cannot settle down to sleep until we chant together the ancient words of the Shema. This quintessential Jewish prayer calls to us as Jews to celebrate the Oneness at the heart of the universe, the Oneness that unites all Creation, the Oneness from which we arise and to which we return.

In the dark, in my embrace, after you have recollected the highs and lows of the day, you chant these twelve simple words in Hebrew and word by word they become the pathway to your dreams.

I love you,

Mommy