Bear Hug
by Rabbi Sruly Koval
He came barreling down the hill straight at me, with an awkward wave and a huge smile, enveloping me in a bear hug, yelling "I love you, it's so good to see you, and it makes me so happy that you care about me too"! His distinct Down's Syndrome features made this exchange seem so natural, even though it was the first time in my life we had ever met.
This happened on Sunday at Camp Kaylie, an overnight summer camp that my 14-year old son is attending in the Catskills mountains. It was Visiting Day, and our family made the drive to see the camp and visit our son. One of the beautiful thing about this camp is that "special needs kids" are fully integrated into the regular bunks, so that my exchange with this boy didn't even raise any eyebrows on the camp grounds.
The period in the Jewish calendar that we are in right now is traditionally referred to as "The Three Weeks." Culminating with Tisha B'av (this year on Sunday, July 26th), these three weeks are the saddest ones on the Jewish calendar and in Jewish consciousness - a time when we commemorate the destruction of the holy temple in Jerusalem, as well as Jewish suffering and tragedy throughout our history. The Talmud teaches us that the reason why the second Temple was destroyed was because of sinas chinam, baseless hatred between people. The sages add that any generation in which the Temple has not been rebuilt bears the burden of not rectifying this sin of Jewish disunity.
It's hard to actually love your neighbor "as yourself" when we get caught up in so many interpersonal and emotional inhibitions. It took a special boy, free of all "normal" inhibitions to remind me of this timely lesson. Let your guard down, see the beauty in others and connect with them in a meaningful way.
Thank you to my anonymous Down's friend, for showing me the way up!
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