Up, Up, and Away

Even in just the few shorts days of our start to NCSY Summer Kollel 2019, there have been no shortage of highlights.  Yerushalayim and Beir Meir, in study and in play, Torah leaders and rolling good times- all have been featured since arriving in Israel on Tuesday.

Air travel often gets a bad rap.  We are grateful that our management and logistics are handled by David Cutler and Racheli Schwartz, and not by TSA and the airlines.   Nevertheless, there remains something magical and inspiring about an airport that even the most road weary traveler can appreciate.  As such, for all the buzz and excitement that marked our arrival this week, it was perhaps our departure that stands out most of all.

Maybe this is because of all of the promise and possibility that is offered at the start of any trip.  First steps are always special, all the more so on a program like ours with so many exciting destinations ahead.  Accelerating down a runway and taking flight is an apt metaphor for our group this week.  We picked up speed as we checked into Beit Meir, and really took off as we gathered, 400+ strong, in the Beis Medrash for a first prayer and learning.  On Wednesday we met our Rabbeim for the first time, and took initial steps toward bonding and connecting as a group.  We reached unprecedented heights when we traveled together to the Old City and ascended to the roof of Aish HaTorah.  Davening for the first time at the Kotel was another milestone and perfect frame for the adventures to follow.  We enjoyed many other firsts as well.  We inaugurated a new soccer field on our campus, as well as our 7th basketball court.  We enjoyed out first organized sports games and were exhilarated by our first tiyul excursion.  That trip benefited from our range of 8 (!) different options, ranging from water skiing to touring Ammunition Hill to mountain biking to Laser Tag and more.  Our first late Thursday night learning program was arguably the best example of these thrilling beginnings.  Even after a full day of learning and activity, 300 NCSYers and staff participated in a post-maariv learning program that provided more than a glimpse of what NCSY Kollel is all about.

All of this fits the “up” part of “up, up, and away.”    Movement towards the great land of Israel is always a movement that is “up.”  This culminates in the beautiful terminology of “Aliyah” to describe coming back to Israel.  Our version of this was full of so many small advancements that could all truly be called stepping up.

But our departure, by very definition, also included “and away.”  The context for so much of the growth and development this summer is the fact that we will appreciate a new perspective and vantage point.  We have ventured beyond routine and comfort zones, and we can appreciate that which is new and challenging.  I once heard an explanation regarding our monthly blessing of the new moon.  Jewish law instructs us to leave our place and recite the blessings and prayers from outside.  Notably, this is likely true even if we find ourselves in front of an open window or skylight with a pure view of the moon.  This is a unique facet of this prayer.  It is the sole time that we are told to reflect and pray, but only after we pick ourselves up and move out of our regular abode.  To be sure, there is nothing quite like home.  There is no glory in leaving places of nurturing and warmth, and, in fact, the common homesickness that also accompanied us this week can itself be a welcome and healthy sign.  But in order to maximize growth and to go beyond, we need to move.  We need to experience the new.  We head out to places we’ve never been, meet people we’ve never known, think in a way we may not have thought before, and consider it all from a very different lens. 

And so, standing and watching the glorious vistas of Yerushalayim at sunset was a moment and a platform for greater accomplishment.  Even playing soccer in the shadow of ancient mountains was a moment that announced that we are not in Kansas (or Woodmere or Bergenfield) anymore.

In planning itineraries for your sons, we often prioritize that which is new, and never done before.  One of the most critical components of a great summer tour is the opportunity to break routine and consider anew. 

Two young men were learning Thursday morning and encountered a difficulty.  They asked their Rebbe for help, but he too was stumped.  He casually suggested that they go together to ask Rav Mayer Twersky.  So they did.  For 10 minutes they stood and spoke.  Something you just don’t see everyday.  Nor is a basketball league of 40 teams competing across 7 courts and 4 hours with Jewish pride, purpose and values. 

Our upcoming Shabbos together is another chance to think again and renew.  Shabbos on NCSY Kollel is special beyond words, and eagerly anticipated by so many.  It will serve as the next step in our journey, bringing us ever closer to home.

Wishing everyone a glorious Shabbos, from the hills of Jerusalem

© 2025 NCSY. All Rights Reserved.