T ORAH P ORTION
Camp Reminder: We Are God’s
Imperfect Twin
BY RABBI ERIC YANOFF
Parshat Re’eh
I SPENT THE past several
weeks teaching young adults at
Camp Ramah in the Poconos
and was reminded again:
Jewish camp is one of Jewish
America’s greatest inventions,
not only because of the lifelong
Jewish identity it fosters among
campers and staff .

Each summer (with the
notable exception of summer
2020), camps like Ramah build
a brief, recurring Brigadoon,
a Jewish utopian society of
menschlichkeit that reminds us
how to be our best with one
another. Th is summer, coming
out of an extended time of
isolation, we needed this more
than ever.

Yes, the overt Jewish lessons
at camp are fun and memorable:
I taught our teens midrashim on
how (and how not) to reach
heaven, while on the ropes
course, stories of Moses on
Mount Sinai and the Tower of
Babel. I taught Talmudic stories
of friendships that began in the
middle of a body of water — as
we rowed out to the middle of
the agam (lake).

But the best moments are
the ones that happen with no
Kaplan Continued from Page 19
sign teenage pitchers, owing to
uncertainties around younger
players, including how much
more they might grow. Given
his size, however, it’s doubtful
that Steinmetz has much more
growing left .

Th en there’s the college
factor. Steinmetz has already
accepted a scholarship from
Fordham University, a Jesuit
Catholic school in the Bronx.

Some draft ed players stick with
24 AUGUST 5, 2021
preparation: Th e dozen staff
and campers who sprint to the
aid of a child who dropped
her food in the chadar ochel
(dining hall), quickly cleaning
up the mess, brushing off the
camper, refi lling the plate and
helping her to her table, all
before she even has time to
be embarrassed — because
that smiling group has named
themselves “Th e Rachmanus
(compassion/care) Brigade.”
... Th e “fourth strike” given
to the camper who really
needs a hit that day on the
soft ball fi eld, as both teams
silently forego the “no-fair”
objection ... Th e triumphant
last child who passes the swim
safety test ... the overenergetic,
100-person line dance to some
Israeli Eurovision pop-song
entry ... the wild cheers for
the winner of the “Schmutz-
Buster” T-shirt for helping to
make sure camp stays clean ...

... Th e oldest division of
campers who decide to make
a “cult hero” out of a younger
camper who might have
been dismissed by his peers
as quirky and unrelatable,
chanting his name so that his
peers will see their bunkmate
in the best light, and will
embrace him because their role
models, older campers, have
embraced him ...

Of course, these stories
are heartwarming precisely
because they don’t have to go
this way; there are plenty of
stories, both in camp and in
the “real world,” where people
are not as nice. But when done
right, camp is not the real world
because it is the place where we
can be seen and embraced as
precious and beloved — and
where we can see ourselves
as precious and beloved. In a
more-isolated world, it was too
easy for too many of us to
forget that others see, love and
value us in this way.

It reminds me of a moment
in this week’s Torah portion,
Re’eh, where Moses reminds
us how precious we are; he
says, “Banim atem — you are
God’s children” (Devarim 14:1)
— and continues, “[therefore]
don’t gash yourselves.” It is a
reminder not to harm ourselves
bodily in the cultic ways that
were prevalent in ancient
times, because we are created
in God’s image. We are not
perfect, but we are infi nitely
precious, valuable and worthy.

But the Torah does not
stop there: In a few weeks, we
will read a law about a person
who is hanged; we must not
leave the body of the criminal
the college plan in order to
gain experience.

Th ere have been approxi-
mately 230 Jewish players out
of more than more than 22,000
major leaguers, including the
3,400 men who suited up in
the Negro Leagues. Aside from
Greenberg, Koufax and, more
recently, Ryan Braun and Ian
Kinsler, few had a great impact
on the game.

Naturally we wish
Steinmetz and Kligman plenty
of mazel, but to mangle an
old saying, many are called,
few are “Chosen.” Out of the
1,000-plus players draft ed in
an average year, maybe one in
fi ve will make it to “Th e Show,”
according to Baseball America.

Before we start talking about
Jacob Steinmetz as this genera-
tion’s Sandy Koufax, we should
also remember slugger Adam
Greenberg, who had exactly
two at-bats in the majors — a
biblical seven years apart. ●
CAN DL E L IGHTIN G
Aug. 6
Aug. 13
hanging overnight (21:23). Th e
biblical commentator Rashi
explains that the reason, again,
is because we are created in
God’s image — but this time,
we do not resemble God as
God’s children, but rather as
God’s twin sibling.

Rashi tells a story of a king
who had a lesser-known twin
who was a criminal, who was
hanged, and passers-by would
assume it was the king and
would disparage him. So, too,
when we act in a way that
diminishes our own humanity,
we are tarnishing the image of
God — and God’s good name
is hurt in the process.

Th is is the refl exive part of
being created b’tzelem Elohim,
in God’s image: If we are in
God’s Divine image — then
God is in OUR image. God
resembles our very-human,
very-imperfect image. We are
the imperfect twins of God.

We must build a society that
reminds us of that responsi-
bility to uphold and not sully
God’s image, with our actions.

Especially in
today’s amped-up rhetoric, where
diff erences of opinion are
oft en argued not on their
merits but rather by vilifying
and dehumanizing the other
side — where we do not treat
7:50 p.m.

7:42 p.m.

someone as mistaken but as
evil — we need a reminder
that when we delegitimize
a person or a people, we are
tearing down God’s image. Th e
real world makes it easy to
forget the lesson that we must
preserve the image of God.

In fi ve weeks, at the High
Holidays, the Unetaneh Tokef
(“Who will live, who will
die”) prayer will conclude,
“U-sh’meinu karata vi-Shmecha
— You have linked our name
with Yours.” God is counting
on us to honor God’s image,
by valuing others, who carry
God’s Image as our own.

Let’s not wait until next
summer to build such a better
world; let’s begin right now. ●
Rabbi Eric Yanoff is one of the
rabbis at Adath Israel in Merion
Station and an immediate past co-
president of the Board of Rabbis
of Greater Philadelphia. The
board is proud to provide diverse
perspectives on Torah commentary
for the Jewish Exponent. The
opinions expressed in this column
are the author’s own and do not
refl ect the view of the Board of
Rabbis. Be heard.

Email your letters
to the editor.

letters@jewishexponent.com Ron Kaplan is the author of “Hank
Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and
Home Runs in the Shadow of War.”
JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



C ommunity
COMMUNITYBRIEFS Israeli Leaders Meet with UAE and CHOP
Counterparts to Discuss Health Cooperation
ACTING CONSUL GENERAL of Israel in New
York Israel Nitzan visited the Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia on July 28 to discuss the possible expan-
sion of pediatric health cooperation between Israel,
the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Nitzan and Consul General of the UAE in New
York Abdalla Shaheen toured the hospital with CHOP
President and CEO Madeline Bell.

The hospital led discussions on partnership oppor-
tunities ahead of the first anniversary of the Abraham
Accords, which normalized relations between Israel
and the UAE. Leaders of Israel’s Schneider Children’s
From left: Abdalla Shaheen, the U.A.E.’s Consul General in
New York; Dr. Jack Rychik, associate chief of academic affairs
and director of the Fetal Cardiac Center at Children’s Hospital
of Philadelphia; and Acting Consul General of Israel in New
York Israel Nitzan
Courtesy of the Consulate General of Israel in New York
Hospital attended the event virtually.

“The Abraham Accords are spreading far and
wide, from Philadelphia to Abu Dhabi to Jerusalem
and beyond,” Nitzan said. “Meetings, such as this one
in Philadelphia, give everyone involved an opportu-
nity to learn from one another ... It shows that we will
build meaningful relationships in order to save lives.

Nothing is more important than that. Israel and the
UAE have proven that focusing on the well-being of
our citizens is the essence of our peace.”
Nitzan and Shaheen also spoke with Associate Chief
of Academic Affairs and Director of the Fetal Cardiac
Center Dr. Jack Rychik about his work at CHOP.

Nazi Graffiti Found in Delaware
Nazi SS graffiti was found spray-painted on a bridge
at Bear, Delaware, on July 28, the Delaware News
Journal reported.

The black-paint graffiti, which said, “Crackers
Matter” then featured two lightning bolts similar to
those used by the Nazi SS, was removed that day by
the Delaware Department of Transportation.

“In the event the same ‘tags’ are presented somewhere
else in the area, we would take the necessary investiga-
tive steps, if notified,” Delaware State Police spokesman
Mast Cpl. Gary Fournier said. He said police are inves-
tigating, but don’t have leads or suspects.

“We are witnessing increased acts of hate and
antisemitism around the country and the world which
is alarming, but to have this hateful graffiti occur in
our own backyard is very disturbing,” said Seth
Katzen, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation
of Delaware. “Our community must remain vigilant
against these senseless acts and thank DelDot for the
immediate removal of the graffiti.”
Anyone with information about the graffiti is
asked to contact Crime Stoppers online at delaware.

crimestoppersweb.com or by calling 1-800-TIP-3333.

From left: Sam Mattis and his coach, Dane Miller
Courtesy of Garage Strength Sports Performance
Jewish Discus Athlete with Area Ties
Finishes Eighth at Tokyo Olympics
In his first Olympics, Jewish Olympian and University
of Pennsylvania graduate Sam Mattis reached the
final of the men’s discus event.

But in the final at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo,
Mattis fell short of a medal, placing eighth with a
distance of 63.88 meters. He was, however, the highest
finisher among U.S. male athletes in the event.

The East Brunswick High School (New Jersey)
graduate earned a spot in the medal round by
recording the eighth-longest distance, 63.74, out of 30
competitors in the qualification round. Mattis made
the U.S. Olympic team with a third-place finish in the
U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

He was also the 2019 U.S. national champion and the
2015 NCAA champion. He missed the 2016 Olympics but
kept working for five years to make the games in 2021.

“This has been my goal for years at this point,
probably close to a decade,” Mattis said. “That I’ve
achieved it feels pretty good.” l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb and Jarrad Saffren
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