Where Did My Son Go?

This summer, a unique opportunity for mesivta-age bochurim is being offered in the heart of the Amazon.

A parent looks up from the Shabbos table and realizes that his son is not there. Going to look for him, he finds his son “busy” with something very important in his eyes.

“Can you come to the table?” the father asks.

“Soon,” comes the reply.

The father waits. “Soon” could mean now, in five minutes, or perhaps not at all. As he heads back to the table, he wonders what happened to his son who only a few years ago would run to share every detail of his day. He once had a connection with the boy who often sought out his father’s attention and advice.

Today, as his son has entered the mesivta years, conversations are unfortunately limited to a few words at a time. Something has changed.

Of course, this is not necessarily a bad thing. The teenage years are a time of tremendous growth. A young man begins to discover who he is, what he believes in, and what kind of person he wants to become. As parents, we hope we have provided a positive dugma chaya for our children to emulate. Yet the process is not always easy to watch.

A seed must first break apart and lose its previous form (bitul) before it can grow into something greater, like a tree. That phase often looks messy before it eventually looks beautiful. Or, as a bochur might put it, it is the awkward stage between not having a beard and having one. It is part of the process.

Knowing this can be reassuring. Yet it still leaves parents with an important question: How can we help our children navigate these years successfully?

As parents, we want to provide our children with the best tools for growth. We send them to the best yeshivahs we can and pay close attention to their friendships. We look for additional opportunities that will help them develop confidence, maturity, and  strong character.

Sometimes what a teenager needs is not another classroom, another schedule, or another summer program. Sometimes he needs an experience that challenges him, stretches him, and allows him to discover strengths he never knew he possessed.

There is something powerful about stepping outside of one’s familiar environment. Away from the distractions of everyday life, our children, our bochurim, often discover new confidence, deeper friendships, and abilities that we never knew they had.

This summer, a unique opportunity is being offered in the heart of the Amazon. The Amazon Jewish Expedition is designed specifically for mesivta-age bochurim who are looking for adventure, growth, and meaningful experiences in a Torah and Chassidishe environment.

The Bochurim will explore the beauty of the Amazon, build lasting friendships, experience the outdoors in a healthy and structured setting, and challenge themselves in ways that encourage personal growth and maturity.

Most importantly, each participant is viewed not as another name on a list, but as an individual with unique strengths and potential.

The program is directed by Rabbi Arieh Raichman, shliach in Manaus, Brazil, who has spent more than fifteen years living and working in the Amazon region. Through years of working with tourists, young adults, and Jewish youth programs, he has witnessed firsthand how beneficial meaningful experiences combined with real attention and care can be instrumental in the life of our bochurim.

Information about the Amazon Jewish Expedition can be found at www.amazonjexpedition.com

Perhaps the answer to “Where did my son go?” is that he never really left. He is simply in the process of becoming the person he was meant to be.

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