Editorial: Happiness may be the last day of fourth grade

Issue of June 19, 2009 / 27 Sivan 5769

Whoever has never seen the Simchas Beis Hashoeva in Jerusalem has never in his life seen true joy, says the Gemara in Sukkah (51a). OK. Thanks for mentioning it. But, why choose now to bring up a topic that is clearly more appropriate to discuss in the fall? As of right now, after all, the next milestone of the Jewish calendar on the horizon is the month of Tammuz, and the Three Weeks.

The answer is because it suddenly occurred to us this afternoon that, in fact, the person who has never in his life seen true joy is he who has never read a text message from a son who has just spent his last day in fourth grade.

“School’s out!!! I am so excited!” the message began.

Having lived through the ups and downs of the school year with the writer of the text, one could understand his otherworldly joy. The first glimpse of the message really was a transporting moment — and not just because it was read behind the wheel (do not try this at home).  In an instant the reader was himself transported back in time, to clear-as-a-school-bell flashbacks to his own last days of grade school, high school — even college.

The writer's lightness of spirit was self-evident. It virtually flowed through the BlackBerry, and through the reader's own body. Weighty issues and concerns being pondered simply ceased to exist, at least for a moment; thoughts of approaching deadlines lifted away. Time slowed. What was the rush, after all? There's a whole summer ahead!

Of course, summer is more summery for some of us than for others. Is there anyone more fortunate than he or she — the adult with dependents and bills and responsibilities who nonetheless has figured out a way to spend July and August at a sleep-away camp? We know quite a few such people — camp directors, nurses, specialty counselors and the like — and count them among the smarter people we know. If only we could be so smart. Bears, skunks and poison ivy notwithstanding.

Then again not everything to do with summer, or even summer camp, is sweetness and light. As schools let out this week and the countdown to camp begins in earnest, a new worker class arises, charged with making sure every conceivable item that might be fleetingly useful in camp has been purchased, categorized, labeled and packed. We refer to 'The Parent,' whose only reward after all the hard work of prepping for camp might be 10 days to two weeks of relative quiet before … visiting day.

One final thought from an unknown writer: Summer is the topsy-turvy season when the goldfish have to be boarded out while the family goes on a fishing trip.