Bat Mitzvah Address

As I was thinking about beginning the book of Shemot, Exodus, I realized how much this story of the enslavement of our ancestors in Egypt affected the development of our people. Had it not been for the enslavement, perhaps we would never have valued freedom so much.  Had it not been for the redemption from Egypt, perhaps we would never have developed an ethos of hope.  As painful as this experience was, it helped us grow into a religious civilization that values the equality of all human beings, the need to drive out tyranny, and the importance of realizing that freedom does not mean life without a code of morality and ethics.  This experience was so important in the formation of who we are even today, that we retell the story every Pesach passing it down from one generation to the next.

The word “mitzrayim” means narrow straits.  When we were in Egypt, our lives were definitely constricted.  We were constricted in terms of our movement, our opportunities, and having control over our own lives.  Slavery also meant individuals did not have to take responsibility for their own actions, didn’t have the opportunity to try anything new and out of the ordinary, and didn’t get the opportunity to make plans for the future.

When a young teen becomes a bat mitzvah, it is possible to view this time of life as a time of coming out of one’s own mitzrayim, one’s own narrow straits.  It is a time for taking responsibility for one’s own actions and thinking about where you are headed in life as a human being in general and as a Jew in specific.  It is also a time of realizing that life is a journey, one which will include hardships as well as great joys..but that there is always hope for the future. It is a time when you are ready to listen to the part of you that wants to help others, show respect for all living things, and wants to do the right thing even when faced with peer pressures that would have you do otherwise.

Neva, I believe I’ve seen a side of you over the last several years that leads me to believe that you are indeed ready to listen to the part of yourself that cares about others and is empathetic to those who are suffering.  As you continue your journey as a Bat Mitzvah, a daughter of the commandments, remember that much wisdom has already been given to us in the Torah, you don’t need to re-invent it.  Use the Torah as a guide, think about its messages and how they can have a place in your life that will still allow you to be authentically yourself!  I have seen great growth in your skill set over the past several months, I have heard about your good work at the animal shelter, and now I hope to continue witnessing your growth as a responsible member of your family and this Jewish community.  May you grow to be a strong woman just as the women that you wrote about in your d’var Torah.

Amen.