Goldman Union Camp Institute

July 27, 2013

Cabin 15: Blessings in Our Lives

Bar Mitzvah ceremony of Kaden Hanks

Mah Tovu page 192

Our theme this Saturday morning is “blessings in our life.” This can be physical or mental. A blessing in my life is when I got my dog, Sam. Even though I was too little at the time to care, I would be a different person today without him. – Danny S.

Please turn to page two hundred and twenty six and rise for Barchu.

Barchu page 226

Everyone has blessings. But sometimes we don’t realize it and identify them as blessings. The fact that you’re not hungry is a blessing. The fact that we are all together right now is a blessing. Blessings are everywhere. Once I was in class and we were learning about how kids in Africa are dying because they don’t have clean water to drink. Their water was less clean than the water we use to fill our pools, flush our toilets, wash our hands. When I learned that, I realized just how spoiled I was, and that God has given me an uncountable amount of blessings. [Name redacted by wish of camper]

Please join with on page two hundred and twenty eight

Yotzeir Or page 228

The Sh’ma is one of my favorite prayers in the Jewish tradition. After my very first year here at GUCI, my Mom redid my room. I asked her if I could paint the Sh’ma on my wall and she said yes. Ever since then, I have felt closer to God every day. The Sh’ma tells us to listen. It tells us that God is our Lord, and that the Lord is one. – Steven E.

Please turn to page two hundred and thirty two and rise for Shema.

Sh’ma/V’ahavta page 232

The Mi Chamocha is about the blessing of the Red Sea parting. In real life, that usually doesn’t happen but that doesn’t mean our blessings aren’t meaningless. They’re just special to us. My recent blessing was coming to camp. – Sam H.

Please join in Mi Chamocha on page two hundred and forty

Mi Chamocha page 240

Everything in my life is a blessing. I have a great family that watches over me and if I ever need to talk to someone, I can always trust them. I have parents that can provide me with a home and a place to eat. And I have friends at home and at GUCI that help me through every day of my life. But one of my biggest blessings is being born with a twin brother that I couldn’t live without. For example, the first day coming to camp I was so worried that I wouldn’t have fun or make any friends, but I always knew that I would have someone, my brother. – Nathaniel S.

Please turn to page two hundred and forty two and rise for the Amidah

Amidah page 242

When I think of blessings, I think of my body and my family. My body is a blessing because I have been blessed with a strong and healthy body. I have also been blessed with an amazing family. I have two amazing parents who watch over me and guide me. I have a sister who can be annoying at times, but is still good to me, and lastly my brother is a blessing to me. He gives me advice, helps me when I’m sad, and is someone who I can trust with anything. If there is one person who I want to be with my whole life, it would be him. – Ethan S.

Please join in Sim Shalom on page two hundred and fifty eight

Sim Shalom page 258

I have many blessings in my life. Shelter, family, friends, food, water, and I cherish every blessing I have. But by far I believe my family is the greatest blessing I have. During every silent prayer, I pray that my parents and older brother are okay at home and my brothers are having the best time here at GUCI. I love my family and believe that they are my greatest blessing of all. – Andy K.

Please pray silently

Silent Prayer

Each of us has many blessings in our lives we fail to see on a daily basis. Maybe its the little things, such as help from a stranger, or big things such as a great friend. One blessing I know I have, but fail to see every day, is having two older siblings on camp. They are always there to help me, and are there for me to talk to. One blessing we all have here at GUCI, is the sense of Kehillah Kedoshah, a holy community, just like the Torah talks about the first Jews creating the same holy community. – David T.

Please rise to take the Torah out of the ark on page three hundred and sixty four

D’var Torah – Kaden Hanks

Torah Service page 364

The Aleinu talks about how G-d made our people unique. I believe that it is trying to tell us that every person is unique. Each person has their own unique set of traits. Some people are creative, some smart, some people are kind, and some athletic. We were blessed with these traits. If people didn’t have them, the world wouldn’t be a special and unique place. Count your traits as blessings. – Tamir R.

Please join in Aleinu at the bottom of page five hundred and eighty six

Aleinu page 586

There are many blessings in my life. The first type is physical blessings. I am blessed to be healthy and have a well working body. The second type is blessings around you. All my family and friends at home and here at camp are blessings. The last type is the ones in your heart. Some may not be there with you on the outside, but they are with you on the inside, where it counts. Like the Kaddish Yatom says, we can celebrate life because of these types of blessings in our lives. – Zach M.

Please rise for Kaddish Yatom on page five hundred and ninety eight

Kaddish Yatom page 598

Blessings are all around us in ways that we might not realize. For example, I think that the fact that I can move and talk is a blessing because it is a great thing God has given me, and not everybody has it. We are all able to be here at GUCI as one Jewish community, and that definitely is a true blessing in our lives. – Alex N.

Yom Zeh L’Yisrael page 634

Yom zeh l’Yisrael ‘orah v’simchah

Shabbat menuchah

This is Israel’s day of light and joy: Shabbat, a day of rest.