Rewind, Play, Fast-Forward.  That was the theme of our final Shabbos of YBY, in L.A.  I got the feeling though that everyone wished they had stopped at “rewind.”  Daniella, Josh, and Rivka planned a beautiful Shabbos for us that really put everything we experienced into perspective.  Throughout Shabbos, they helped us remember our accomplishments.  Thinking about how far we’ve come was amazing.  It was extremely special to sit down at the Shabbos table and read so many of the funny and historical Yad B’Yad moments we shared over the weeks.  Later on Shabbos night, we sat around tables and all joined in for the most memorable tisch (Modeh Ani L’fanecha).  Snacks, chulent and the singing all in tandem created a wonderful atmosphere. One by one, between songs, many of us stood up to speak about our favorite moments and shed light on how much we’ve gained from the experience and what it all meant to us.  If the weekend ended at “rewind,” Shabbos would have been over there.  However, there was still more in store for us.  Shabbos day shared in the theme of memories as the night before, but played a bigger role in understanding that life is in “play” and it is time to fast forward and think about how this all plays a bigger role in our futures.  After Shacharit, I gave my learning program, titled “Foreshadowing Reflection.”  The very essence of the program was fast-forwarding to the end of our days and asking ourselves if we are happy with what people are saying about how we’ve spent our “dash” (The Dash by Linda Ellis).  The response of the crowd was outstanding and it was clear that together we all understood that the past 5 weeks were a springboard towards the future.  It was a chance for us all to realize that the big rocks must go first.  And on through Shabbos, this theme of implementing inclusion and living a Yachad life was further engraved in our minds.  Then on we went with our Motzei Shabbos talent show (after we crashed a wedding, of course), where so many of us claimed the stage and took to our talents.  Some sang, some danced, some spat (that was quite interesting) and some acted, and many got eggs cracked on their heads by our very own head staff.  After an eventful Shabbos and awesome talent show, it was time to shut out the lights on our final Yad B’Yad Shabbos.

Max Cohen