By Rabbi Yechiel Spero
This past Friday, many received the devastating news that summer camps will not be opening this summer in the Catskill mountains. And camps are scrambling, and people are scrambling, and everyone’s trying to find solutions so that we can somehow, someway, have an enjoyable, productive and kosher summer.
Well, one of the lines that I read somewhere over the last number of days was that someone asked Governor Cuomo: “What do you want? 40,000 Jewish children who don’t go to movies, malls or beaches, and have limited internet access, what do you want them to do the entire summer?”
And he callously remarked, “Let them be creative.”
Well, obviously, we’ve been creative for months, and we need another solution, and the Ribono Shel Olam will provide that for us.
But I would like to take that question to Governor Cuomo, and I’d like to rephrase it, and ask the same thing as a Tefilah, as a bakasha, as a request from Hashem: “Ribono Shel Olam, you have 40,000 Yiddishe kinderlach, 40,000 Jewish children who are Shomer Torah U’Mitzvos, who sacrifice to keep your mitzvos. They don’t go to beaches, or malls or movies, they are careful about shmiras einayim, about guarding their eyes, and acting in a tznius and fine manner. And therefore, we ask you, Ribono Shel Olam, what do you want those 40,000 Jewish children to do?”
And with that request, with that bakasha, we Daven that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will see our sincerity, and we will trust Him, we will have bitachon, we will have faith, that Hakadosh Boruch Hu will be able to lift us up, to carry us on His wings, and to be able to provide for our children what they need. Im Yirtzeh Hashem, hopefully, over the next few days, we’ll hear wonderful news and each person’s own personal request will be answered. Have a great day and a great rest of your week.
{Matzav.com}
Maybe Hashem said enough of 2 and half months of summer vacation? However kosher camps are and fine we are, nothing justifies 2 and half months of vacation time. Its about time the schools and yeshivas in North America follow Europe and Israel and cut the summer time to 2 to 3 weeks
very well said. just like people woke up to realize they dont need the pretentious weddings. so too now its time to change the unneeded and time and money waste of secular style long summer vacation
and what about before corona when girls and boys didnt get accepted to yeshivah? or were expelled? for what ever reason. did you cry your eyes out? or just ignore it because it didnt effect you immediately?
maybe he did cry his eyes out over bochurim not getting accepted into yeshivas? unless maybe you know exactly what he davens for every day of course. rabbi spero is a very special person, why turn a nice tefilla into something disgusting. maybe YOU need to learn to be dan lkaf zechus and not a focus on a non-existent negative
i cant understand how people always just look to whine and complain about things that they conjure up in their heads. how do you read this and the first things that pops up in your head is “wow what a rasha he only cares about this because it affects him directly, so obviously he doesnt care about the girls and boys that got denied from yeshivas”. hes an ehrliche yid that wants to help klal yisroel. why cant you just leave it like that? why conjure up some random garbage to put someone else trying to help others down.
non existent negative? maybe it’s you who needs to open his eyes to a real problem that is in the background that people always conveniently ignore. because it doesnt affect them till it does of course!
Cuomo is reputed to be a friend if the Torah observant community. Comments such as “let them be creative “ demonstrate that he has a latent hostility and no understanding of a Torah observant Jew lives his and her life and should spend their spare time in enhancing their true freedom in being Ovdei HaShem
Cuomos comments are of the “let them eat cake” variety. Curious to know how much if any time Cuomo and DOH spent in reading Agudah submissions re camp and health
Oh HASHEM did answer our prayers!!! All those parents who have a crushing debt every year to pay for camp now can breath a drop easier bh!!!
Do you think it is normal for frum kids to have three months off a year?!? Hashem showed us that if the chinuch of our kids get outweighed by camp this year maybe you should start thinking of the chinuch aspect. But nothing will change too much money and self indulgence
you are right . but changing a culture is not easy. hopefully this summer will help to effect some change , similar to the change in attitudes to insane immature weddings