Posted on 08/28/24
There were mixed emotions in the Rec Hall as Camp Romimu showed the end of summer banquet video to their hundreds of happy campers. The summer has been a smashing success both in ruchniyus and gashmius and that feeling was in the room.
As I walked out of the Rec Hall, I saw that there was a camper from my division trailing me. It seemed as if he wanted my attention so I stopped as Ari turned to me. “Rebbe, I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done. I had an incredible summer”. I have received many thanks from boys but there was something about his that was so genuine. Although I had not done anything out of the ordinary for him over the summer, he made the effort to properly convey his thanks. It was clear that he had gone out of his comfort zone to give the thanks and it was very touching.
On the following morning, the last morning of camp, I saw Ari and wished him a good morning. “Ari,” I asked, “did your parents tell you to thank the Head Staff”. He answered “No, but I always see my parents thanking people so I felt it was right to do it as well”.
When my first child was a toddler, I asked my Rosh Hayeshiva, Harav Aharon Feldman, shlita, what I could do for chinuch for my children at this age. He answered “Children see what you are doing, and if you make berachos out loud, there will come a day that they too will model your actions”.
Lessons are ‘caught’, not ‘taught’.
Rabbi Moshe Dov Heber is a Middle School Rebbi in Yeshiva K’tana of Waterbury, the Director of the Mishmar Evening Program in Waterbury and Division Head in Camp Romimu. He is a frequent contributor to various publications on areas related to education as well as speaks publicly on various topics. Rabbi Heber can be reached via email at mdheber@ykwaterbury.org.