This past Sunday, students in our Camp Wise Sundays program studied the Jewish value of trust, bitachon, examining how trust shaped Jewish history – from Hanukkah to the present – as well as the role trust plays in our everyday lives. In this week’s Daily Kavanot, we’ll also examine how trust shapes our people’s history and present.
Much of our campers’ exploration of trust this past Sunday focused upon the trust we must place in ourselves and in one another to overcome new obstacles and challenges. Students considered how trust affected their participation in various activities, from an obstacle course to team sports, to singing, to praying, and more.
Their model, in part, for this exploration of trust was the Hanukkah story itself. As told within the Book of Maccabees and as remembered by most 21st-century Jews, Hanukkah represents the triumph of a dedicated group of Jews whose trust in their traditions, in themselves, and in one another, led them to success against incredible odds.
Our ancestors’ trust in the face of overwhelming odds prompts us to consider how we maintain our sense of bitachon in ourselves, in one another, and in the knowledge and systems we share, when the outcome is no longer betach — assured.
Our campers discovered that by taking their time to articulate their shared values and hopes, they created trust in one another, enhancing their trust in themselves, as well as the strategies and ideas they shared. In their case, opening themselves to one another and giving others the opportunity to earn their trust not only increased their trust in their fellow campers, but also in themselves.
How can we maintain our sense of trust when the outcome of our efforts remains in doubt?
— Rabbi Josh Knobel