The Rabbi's Ramble
I've got Bnei Mitzvah fever... at home, where one of my kids likes to rate the
speeches that she overhears being practiced in our dining room... and at JFX,
where all of a sudden it seems like so many of our young men and women are
preparing for, or have recently celebrated their Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
This fever seems to be contagious. What do I mean? Well, when JFX began and
the average age of the JFX kids was 6 years old, Bnei Mitzvah were hardly on
our radar screen. As time marched on, the brave pioneers of our organization
have had to struggle with all kinds of legitimate Bnei Mitzvah questions -
questions like, "Will JFX really be able to Bar Mitzvah our son without having
its own building?" Or, "Can my daughter's Bat Mitzvah be meaningful without
her chanting from the Torah?" "Will the mechitzah be too much of a turn-off
for our relatives?"
What has happened is that, thank G-d, we've been able to personalize a uniquely
distinct way for each child to celebrate and commemorate this wonderful
milestone, whether Friday night, Shabbat morning, traditional service,
explanatory service, Saturday night, holiday weekend, in a synagogue, at home,
or in Israel.
But what seems to be contagious is the fact that in each and every case, the
Bar/Bat Mitzvah kid really seems to "get it." There is a strong and exciting
feeling that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration is a portal into a meaningful
adult Jewish life.
It feels so good to catch some of that raw spiritual Bnei Mitzvah fever that is
spreading through these celebrations at JFX!
So, Alex, Ben, Katie, Max, Lilly, Sydni and William, I'm so proud of you all.
Mazel tov to all and thank you for putting the Mitzvah back into the Bar and
Bat, and for setting a high standard for the next wave of Bnei Mitzvah
celebrations!
