A BLESSED SUMMER

Shulie had been waiting for this summer for as long as she could remember. Every winter she would count the months, weeks, and days until summer camp would begin. She had been a most enthusiastic camper, the one that counselors and head staff made the most fuss over. You could almost say that Shulie was camp, and camp was Shulie.

Now, at long last, Shulie was old enough to be a counselor. She was ready and willing to take on the most difficult group, and bring out their hidden potential, by utilizing the unique opportunities available only in camp. She was sure that through stories, songs, deep and meaningful discussions, as well as fun and friendship, the campers’ pure neshamos would shine through, and all negative traits would fade away. And Shulie was a walking library of Chassidishe stories, knew every song in the camp songbook, and had great ideas for wholesome fun.

The first week of camp went smoothly. The campers in Shulie’s bunk loved their counselor. The second week, however, was more challenging. It started with little things, and Shulie had a hard time pinpointing what exactly had changed. She noticed that the standard of dress had shifted a bit. She knew that none of her campers were trying to make a statement; they just found it easier to be less careful about dressing like they should. The third week of camp another issue surfaced, as some of the girls began complaining about their bunkmates.

“Shulie, Chanie was looking through my things without permission!”

“Oh, c’mon! I was just looking for the skirt she borrowed from me yesterday.”

Or

“Hey, Shulie, Sori keeps asking me personal questions. Can you tell her to stop nudging me?”

Or

“Shulie, can I sleep in another cabin? Every night I’m kept awake by these kids. They spend half the night talking about everybody’s business. They’re noisy and nosy night owls!”

“Night owls?”

“Yup! They are up all night saying ‘who? who?’ as in: ‘who did this and who did that?’”

Shulie thought long and hard about the whole situation, and had a talk with a senior staff member whom she looked up to. Soon she had a clearer picture of what approach to take.

At lights out that night, Shulie stayed in the cabin, instead of going off to relax with the other counselors. “Time for a bedtime story!” she announced.

“Oooooh goody!”

“Hope it’s really scary!”

“Hope it’s NOT! I get nightmares!”

“Oh c’mon. We’re not babies. Who needs a bedtime story?”

“Okay,” said Shulie, “if you don’t want a story, I’ll go join my friends in the rec room…”

“NO, NO! PLEASE STAY! WE WANT A STORY! WE WANT A STORY!” all twelve girls chanted in unison.

“Okay, but no interruptions! Here we go…

“High up on the summit of a mountain, an ominous gathering was taking place. The powerful king and his royal retinue were growing impatient. Balak, king of Moav, had offered great sums of money to the infamous Bilam to curse the Jewish people, and the first two attempts had backfired terribly.”

“Oh, you gotta be kidding. We all know the parsha. I thought you were gonna tell us a REAL story!”

“Chanie, this is a REAL story, believe me it REALLY happened!”

“Oh, I know that! I mean I thought you were gonna tell an ORIGINAL story.”

“Believe me, the way I tell it is original….but if you don’t want me to continue, I’ll go join the other counselors in the rec room…”

“CONTINUE, CONTINUE, CONTINUE!” chanted all twelve girls in unison.

“Okay, if you insist, but no more interruptions! So Balak was impatiently waiting, and Bilam is getting nervous. He doesn’t bother this time to find out if Hashem will agree; instead he figures that he’ll mention some of the sins of B’nei Yisroel. Bilam haughtily casts his evil eye over the plains below. He gazes intently at the encampment of B’nei Yisroel, hoping to find a weak spot in the protective k’dusha surrounding them. He looks, and is overwhelmed by what he sees. He cannot help but bless the holy nation, and from his mouth come the famous words: Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov.

“What did Bilam see that prompted this Bracha? Come on girls, I’m sure you all know the answer!” Shulie waited expectantly, and she wasn’t disappointed.

“I know! I know!” Twelve voices cried out.

“One at a time!” Shulie admonished, glad to see that everyone was involved. “Sori, let’s hear what you have to say.”

Sori was proud that she was chosen to answer. “Bilam saw how the tents of the Jews in the desert were set up in a way that the entrances did not face each other.”

“Exactly,” continued Shulie, “He saw that the privacy of every family was respected. He was blown away by the care that the Jewish people took in the finer aspects of tznius. They treasured their modesty and respected each other’s privacy, even when they were camped in temporary quarters, while living in tents.” Shulie checked that she had everyone’s attention before continuing. “So what would happen if…well just imagine if…” she paused, theatrically.

“IF WHAT?? TELL US ALREADY!”

Shulie dropped her voice to a whisper. “Do you know that big hill right across the road from camp? Just imagine, what if Bilam would be standing there now, looking with his one eye over this way? Would he see campers who are soooo careful in tznius and soooo respectful of each other’s privacy? Would he once again cry out ‘Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov?’ Think about it!”

The above story is fictional. The lesson is based on Likkutei Sichos vol. 13 pp. 78-84.