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Bar Mitzvah memories 2004-01-07 @ 10:32 p.m.
When I was 13, I finished the years of Hebrew school my parents had required and had my bar mitzvah. Bar Mitzvah is Hebrew for "Son of the commandment". Its an old tradition within Rabbinic Judaism. It took several months to prepare for mine - I not only had to memorize my torah portion, but I had to learn how to chant it as well. So I spent a significant amount of time, sometimes with taped cassettes and sometimes with the cantor memorizing and practicing my portion. In addition to my torah portion, I had to memorize and chant the different prayers said before and after readings, as well as the corresponding haftorah portion. Haftorah are specific readings from the prophets and the writings that coincide with the theme of the torah portion.
My torah portion was Yitro, which is in Exodus. In this portion, Moses has brought the Israelites out of Egypt and has reunited with his father-in-law, Reuel. Reuel was a Jethro of Midian, a title which is kind of like 'reverend' and which has often been mistaken for his name. Moses complains to Reuel about how much work he has to do in order to keep peace in the camps. Whenever anyone has a problem or dispute, they come to him. Carrying the whole nation on his shoulders, you'll understand that poor Moses was getting pretty frazzled. Well, Reuel says something to the effect of "have you ever considered delegating?". He tells him to find good, trustworthy men among the tribes and appoint them to be judges. This way, Moses only has to deal with the really tough issues. Anyway, the theme of the story that I got and wrote a speech about is that no person is an island and that we shouldn't be ashamed to ask for help from each other. We weren't meant to carry all our burdens alone. Interestingly enough, this lesson is one that I have been learning my whole life - synchronously, it was the perfect portion because its a recurring theme for me.
My bar mitzvah went over pretty smoothly, despite my getting stuck with Cantor Koransky's singing. The LORD, Holy be His Name, saw fit to provide our congregation with an aspiring opera singer for a cantor. Cantor Koransky may have been as famous as he claimed, but the guy was infamous for quadrupling the length of a prayer or song by elongating and enunciating every freakin' syllable as long as possible. I mean, it really didn't make the music prettier or anything: it gave me the impression he was trying to show off. On top of this, the guy was hard of hearing and didn't adjust his hearing aid properly, so he ended up being so loud that he hurt the ears of some of the elderly members of the audience. I, on the other hand, was told I did a wonderful job. It was really cool cause' my baritone voice had recently developed and I had devised the crack-proof method of singing in this new adult tone instead of my younger voice that was on its way out. Cracking voices is common with bar mitvah guys, but its embarassing nonetheless, and I'm glad it didn't happen.
My parents invited a ton of people to my bar mitzvah, which kind of annnoyed me. I mean, no problem with all the extended family, but where did my dad get off inviting his colleagues and coworkers? I must have known less than 1/4 of the people there. Nonetheless, there was an awesome reception with all kinds of wonderful foods. My best friend Scott was there with me and he had a blast. I believe that's when he met my cousin Maddy as well and was blown over by her beauty. "I can't bellieve someone so hot could be in your family!" he exclaimed. Thanks Scott.
"Details in the Fabric" - May 31, 2009
Not So Quick Questions - April 6, 2009
The Morning Stars - Lords of the 15 - April 9, 2009
Sincerity and Faith in Magic - April 10, 2009
Not So Quick Questions (2) - April 14, 2009
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