Last Shabbat in Tzfat, Rav Alon shared with Kollel a meditation that involved feeling one’s heartbeat and taking a deep breath in order to instill a sense of perspective and composure.
The notion of going back to the heartbeat and slowing things down in order to increase focus and concentration resonates very strongly with what happened today on NCSY Kollel. Following an emotional rollercoaster of a 9 days which began with Shabbos Chazon, continued through Tisha Ba’av, through tiyul days, visits from TJJ, Yom NCSY, and culminated with the 3-day tiyul up North to Tzfat for Shabbos Nachamu, it could have been a day of disorientation and confusion. The uneasiness would have been compounded when one realizes that there are less than 2 weeks remaining in the summer.
Instead, Kollel spent today returning to its “heartbeat”: intense learning, great basketball, and the deepening of relationships amongst staff and campers. Today saw Kollel doing what it does best. Starting with an amazing morning seder, keeping the learning strong though chaburas, enjoying today’s mini-tiyul to the museum of music, and pounding in the Beis at night seder.
Today wasn’t without its own unique wrinkles. We were privileged to be visited by Rav Elchonon Adler of Yeshiva University and are expecting Rav Yonosson Saks of Lander College later. Tonight also saw the initiation of the “school-pride” All-Star games. After maariv, campers representing Frisch and SAR traveled to Reishit to figure which school had the best ballers on kollel. It was an amazing night of teamwork and friendship which the campers will never forget.