Last Shabbat, parshat Vayeira, the sophomore class bonded over a Shabbat get-away to beautiful Lake George, where they learned together and enjoyed each other’s company.

Their journey began on Thursday evening with a trip to Schuyler’s Farm and Corn Maze, where they savored a gourmet barbecue dinner, navigated a dark corn maze and enjoyed a spirited kumzitz around a bonfire. Next stop was checking in to the Georgian Lakeside Resort for a spirited lip sync competition.

The next morning, they toured historic Ft. William Henry for a live rifle and cannon demonstration followed by bowling. After a delicious lunch, they climbed to the summit of Prospect Mountain for 100 mile views of the stunning fall foliage. Once they reached the summit, they participated in an inspiring Torah shiur led by Rabbi Danny Kroll.

Shabbat was filled with beautiful tefillot, student Divrei Torah, a ruach filled Friday night tish, faculty and student zemirot as well as many meaningful and engaging conversations.

The theme of the shabbaton, “What’s Your MO?” gave students various opportunities throughout Shabbat to think about what it means to have Modern Orthodoxy be their modus operandi. During his Shabbat morning drasha, Rabbi Harcsztark spoke about the multifaceted nature of Avraham as a paradigm for the ideal Modern Orthodox community. The afternoon discussions were rich and robust and pushed students to become active shapers of their own culture.

On motzei Shabbat students enjoyed a fun melave malka featuring pizza and pasta favorites, cotton candy and churros. New friendships were formed, interesting conversations were had, experiences were shared and the sophomore class was able to get to know each other in ways that only a Shabbat together could accomplish. The unity and energy was palpable on Monday morning as they returned to school.