It’s weird to transition from vacation back to regular life. It’s something most people go through a few times in their life but not really something we get used to. Despite one of my fellow trip mates claiming, albeit before the trip, that he thought this would be a “business trip”, we all acknowledged just a couple hours in that it really felt more like a vacation.
Now, there’s so much to catch up on and I don’t want to catch up on any of it. Leaving out the piles of school work I’ve come back to, the lives of my friends and family didn’t stop while I was away. So, socially and educationally I have a lot to catch up on. But all I want to do is get back on a plane to Hungary.
When we were waiting for our plane in Canada, Rabbi Soskil gathered us to recap our experience. He challenged us to take the inspiration of the trip and morph it into something tangible; some type of change in our lives. While I was most definitely inspired, I’ve been struggling to find that tangible change. It was obviously a trip stooped in Jewish goals, but does that mean the change must be with my practice?
Let’s take a step back for a second. What was really inspiring about this trip? Well, for me, it was seeing a group of people who really do not have any type of Jewish community to rely on, or to celebrate with, being able to enjoy their Judaism. These kids had never been to a shabbaton before, they’ve never stayed up past midnight singing Israeli and Jewish songs, they’ve never been able to really be outwardly proud of their Judaism. Seeing them embrace the Jewish culture so wholeheartedly: that’s what inspired me.
So, I think the change in my life will be about my Jewish community rather than about my personal practice of Judaism. I need to appreciate the community that I have here in Baltimore, to make sure I’m an active member of this community and make sure others are able to be proud of their Judaism like I, and my Hungarian counterparts, can be.
