NOT JUST A WEEKEND AWAY

actually the pic above is everest, the one below is the lovely drakensberg, but pack warm anyway,so , tomorrow we finally leave on our long awaited shabbaton, after hours of preperation and thought, lets hope we can make some memories that will last us a lifetime.

but what are memories made of, we spend most of every day hanging out with these same guys, why would the fact that we are in the drakensberg make any difference, why of every day of every year did, the ta grad tell R'Hazdan that all he remembered was the days they spent together in the mountains?

i think it may be safe to say, what we remember most is when we are able to get in touch with our real emotions, thoughts and feelings, when we really connect to something deep within us and when all superficiality fades away, a beautiful sight for example makes an imprint on our minds, who doesn't remember the first time they visited the kosel or another holy place, a goodbye from a loved one always stays with us in our memories, these are all times that superficiality is superceded.

the shabbaton is not just a weekend away to "joll" and have fun with the boys, it is also an incredible opportunity, to put aside the pressures of school life, for some even the pressures of family life, and together as peers, we can try and discover our inner depth, try and unleash the potential within each one of us to make a lasting impression on our enviroment, and to influence those around us for the better.

the setting of the beautiful dragon peaks, is two steps in the right direction, lets go make it a shabbaton we will never forget.


besides all that, there is obviously the more physical side, the matrics are working on some wild programs, some which the ta may never have seen before, we will keep you posted.

also a solid learning program, we would like to try and keep up with the chabad house tanya competition, so perek bais and possibly perek gimmel will be on the agenda, the theme of the shabbaton is "it's never to late" as pesach sheni is on friday, more to follow.

there will also be a point system over the shabbaton, and grades will compete in most of the learning and activities for an incredible trip on sunday morn, while the rest of the boys are packing.

IT IS FREEZING IN THE MOUNTAINS, PACK WARM

see u guys tomorrow