Shoafim splits the Red Sea through prayer!

Every morning, Shoafim starts off the day by davening (praying) Shacharit (the morning prayer) together. Each morning, the madrichim (counselors) organize a dvar tefilah (talk about the prayer) or activity to explore the meaning behind the morning prayer. 

A few days ago, we learned about the Shirat HaYam tefilah (Song of the Sea prayer). This pslam, often referred to as "Az Yashir," was sung by the Israelites upon successfully and safely crossing the Red Sea after fleeing slavery in Egypt. This experience is often considered to be one of the most powerful and meaningful moments in Jewish history. As an edah, we spoke about the moments in our lives that we recall to be meaningful and noteworthy, ones that we think about every day just like we recall the Red Sea cross every morning in tefilot.

The activity included most of the campers standing in two long lines (like the two halves of the Red Sea). Other campers shared their meaningful memories as they "crossed the Red Sea" or walked down the aisle. Some campers spoke about having a grandparent who survived the Holocaust while others shared a fond memory with their family that they recall each day. The hanichim (campers) enjoyed the opportunity to share stories with each other and reinact the splitting of the Red Sea, as if they had crossed the ocean floor themselves.