Parker, there were three short conversations that we had during the course of your studies that left an impression on me.
Do you remember picking up a Torah Trope Trainer Packet in my office several months ago and noticing that your mother's name was written on the bottom of the first page? You mentioned that she had crossed out the name of Rabbi Miles Cohen who designed the packet and replaced the words with Renee Cohen. You thought that it was pretty cool that you were learning with the very same materials that your mom had used so many years ago. You could imagine her being your age and studying for her Bat Mitzvah.
Just the other day you tried on your tallit for the first time. Noticing the words of the bracha on the atarah, the neck piece, you recited them before you placed the prayer shawl on your shoulders. You said you liked your tallit a lot but that you also liked my husband's large blue tallit. I told you that he had to wait 50 years to get his full-sized tallit. You said that when you get to be that age and need a larger size tallit, you will pass your Bar Mitzvah tallit on to your own son!
The third statement you made was about the timing of your Bar Mitzvah. You pointed out to me that today is the anniversary of your Great-grandfather, William Blaustein's death. You mentioned that he would have liked to have been present at your Bar Mitzvah and that perhaps there was a reason for the connection between your Bar Mitzvah date and your grandfather's yahrzheit,
All three statements struck me, because they all alluded to a very important Jewish phrase called....l'dor Va Dor...from generation to generation. At age 13, you have become aware of your place as a link in your family, Today there are four generations of your family in this very room. That link also extends to this Jewish community. You are among the newest crop of individuals that we can count toward a minyan and look forward to hearing daven on our bimah. You are also a link in world Jewry. By participating in the rituals, customs, and traditions of Judaism you are helping to insure the survival of Judaism. That might sound like a lot of responsibility for such a young person...and you're right it would be...if you had to take on that "job" all by yourself. The beauty is that you only have to do your part with the hope that others will do what is expected of them as well.
What exactly does doing your part entail? It involves making a commitment to continue your Jewish learning. Judaism views learning as a process that only terminates with death. No matter what your age, you can learn Torah....you can discover the BIG TRUTHS inherent in our ancient texts. Grappling with the texts will give you an opportunity to help you understand the world and your place in it. Doing your part also means incorporating the mitzvot into your everyday life. I know that you mentioned you wanted to help save the wolves. You might not know that the mitzvah of Tzaar Ba'alei Chayim...showiing compassion for animals...is a mitzvah...a jewish obligation. The thirteenth century sage Nahmanides said, "The reason we have prohibitions against cruelty to animals is to teach us the trait of compassion and that we should not be cruel, for cruelty proliferates in the human soul." And finally doing your part means not being a "casual Jew." Dedicate yourself to the values of justice and righteousness that you mentioned Abraham so desperately wanted to find in the city of Sodom....but couldn't find. Your family knew firsthand what happens when society doesn't treat all of humanity with dignity....learn from their stories....recognize that Judaism demands moral sensitivity from us but also provides us with the path for acting justly. Every little act of justice and righteousness, repeated on a regular basis, contributes to a better world.
I'm so glad we had a chance to work together...I taught Hebrew school with your grandmother, taught your mother when she was your age, I am working with your father as he pursues his journey in embracing Judaism as a way of life, and the idea of watching you become a Bar Mitzvah brings a true sense of joy to my heart! Mazel Tov!!!
Do you remember picking up a Torah Trope Trainer Packet in my office several months ago and noticing that your mother's name was written on the bottom of the first page? You mentioned that she had crossed out the name of Rabbi Miles Cohen who designed the packet and replaced the words with Renee Cohen. You thought that it was pretty cool that you were learning with the very same materials that your mom had used so many years ago. You could imagine her being your age and studying for her Bat Mitzvah.
Just the other day you tried on your tallit for the first time. Noticing the words of the bracha on the atarah, the neck piece, you recited them before you placed the prayer shawl on your shoulders. You said you liked your tallit a lot but that you also liked my husband's large blue tallit. I told you that he had to wait 50 years to get his full-sized tallit. You said that when you get to be that age and need a larger size tallit, you will pass your Bar Mitzvah tallit on to your own son!
The third statement you made was about the timing of your Bar Mitzvah. You pointed out to me that today is the anniversary of your Great-grandfather, William Blaustein's death. You mentioned that he would have liked to have been present at your Bar Mitzvah and that perhaps there was a reason for the connection between your Bar Mitzvah date and your grandfather's yahrzheit,
All three statements struck me, because they all alluded to a very important Jewish phrase called....l'dor Va Dor...from generation to generation. At age 13, you have become aware of your place as a link in your family, Today there are four generations of your family in this very room. That link also extends to this Jewish community. You are among the newest crop of individuals that we can count toward a minyan and look forward to hearing daven on our bimah. You are also a link in world Jewry. By participating in the rituals, customs, and traditions of Judaism you are helping to insure the survival of Judaism. That might sound like a lot of responsibility for such a young person...and you're right it would be...if you had to take on that "job" all by yourself. The beauty is that you only have to do your part with the hope that others will do what is expected of them as well.
What exactly does doing your part entail? It involves making a commitment to continue your Jewish learning. Judaism views learning as a process that only terminates with death. No matter what your age, you can learn Torah....you can discover the BIG TRUTHS inherent in our ancient texts. Grappling with the texts will give you an opportunity to help you understand the world and your place in it. Doing your part also means incorporating the mitzvot into your everyday life. I know that you mentioned you wanted to help save the wolves. You might not know that the mitzvah of Tzaar Ba'alei Chayim...showiing compassion for animals...is a mitzvah...a jewish obligation. The thirteenth century sage Nahmanides said, "The reason we have prohibitions against cruelty to animals is to teach us the trait of compassion and that we should not be cruel, for cruelty proliferates in the human soul." And finally doing your part means not being a "casual Jew." Dedicate yourself to the values of justice and righteousness that you mentioned Abraham so desperately wanted to find in the city of Sodom....but couldn't find. Your family knew firsthand what happens when society doesn't treat all of humanity with dignity....learn from their stories....recognize that Judaism demands moral sensitivity from us but also provides us with the path for acting justly. Every little act of justice and righteousness, repeated on a regular basis, contributes to a better world.
I'm so glad we had a chance to work together...I taught Hebrew school with your grandmother, taught your mother when she was your age, I am working with your father as he pursues his journey in embracing Judaism as a way of life, and the idea of watching you become a Bar Mitzvah brings a true sense of joy to my heart! Mazel Tov!!!
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