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Children becoming b'nei mitzvah* both marks a huge milestone for them as individuals, and is also a tremendous moment of joy for the entire Jewish community, as each child stepping up into Jewish maturity brings both continuity and renewal to our people's 2,000+ years of service to and celebration of the divine. B'nei mitzvah ceremonies mark this occasion publicly, serving as both a culmination of a Jewish child's preparation for this moment, as well as a launching pad for their lives as emerging Jewish adults.
When Jewish children become b'nei mitzvah, it means they assume the rights and responsibilities of Jewish adulthood -- meaning that they have reached the age at which they as individuals are obligated to fulfill the mitzvot (commandments). These mitzvot range from the spiritual (e.g. shabbat and holidays) to the ethical (e.g. supporting those in need) to the communal (e.g. counting in a quorum for daily prayers, or serving as a witness in a Jewish court).
Jewish children spend years preparing for this occasion, learning to read and chant the Hebrew of our prayers and sacred texts, studying and preparing public remarks on their and our tradition's views the portion of the Torah that they read, and undertaking service projects that give them a taste of the ethical obligations that await them as Jews.
Traditionally, only boys were offered the opportunity to mark the occasion of their coming of age by being called up to bless the Torah or reading from it publicly. Today, thanks to dedicated feminist trailblazers over the last century, Jews of all genders are empowered to do so in egalitarian communities worldwide.
* In Hebrew/Aramaic, Bar Mitzvah refers to a boy, Bat Mitzvah refers to a girl, and B'nei Mitzvah is for plural across genders. Today, many communities, including ours, use the term B'nei Mitzvah across gender, akin to the pronoun "they." Others use the term B' Mitzvah in a similarly non-gender specific way.
Shabbat!! It's been described so many ways over the millennia -- a "delight," a "palace in time," and what has "kept the Jewish people." Shabbat is a holiday Jewish people get to celebrate every week, in which we refrain from work, spending money, electronics, and other activities that keep us in the mode of production, and instead get to dwell in the joys of uplifting music, spiritual learning, delicious food, and family and community togetherness. It's not so much a "recharge" from the work week as what the week is for in the first place. Its origins come from the Torah, with the restfulness and joy serving as a remembrance both of the miracle of creation and the liberation from enslavement. And while "guarding" and "remembering" Shabbat is most famously listed as one of the Ten Commandments, a core idea of Shabbat actually comes from Priya's bat mitzvah parsha, when the Israelites were provided with an extra portion of manna on Fridays so they would not have to gather extra on the sabbath day. For millennia Jews have carried that spirit of abundance with us into Shabbat each week.
In short -- Shabbat is the pinnacle of our weeks, a time of extra holiness and joy -- and we can't wait to share it with you!
A lot! Priya will be leading the congregation in the prayers for the central part of our services, in which Jews take the Torah out of its central place of honor in our sanctuaries, bless it, and read publicly from the parsha (portion) of the Torah that Jews around the world all read that given week. Priya's Bat Mitzvah portion is Beshallach, which contains one of the best known stories around the world -- the Israelites crossing the Sea of Reeds, moving from bondage to liberation. (If you want a refresher, go watch the Prince of Egypt!)
The biggest moment of the service will come when she is called up for an aliyah, at which time she herself will recite the blessings over the reading of Torah for the first time on shabbat. She herself will be reading verses from the Torah and will also chant a haftarah, a section from the books of Prophets that accompanies the Torah portion we read that week. She will also give a d'var Torah (a word of Torah), sharing with all of us her reflections on the words of this week's parsha and our tradition's myriad interpretations of it. After she reads from the Torah the congregation will shower her with candy, sending her all of our wishes for a Jewish life filled with sweetness and joy.
Finally: word on the street is that Priya's younger brother Ezra will be making a service-leading debut that Saturday morning as well...
A lot of joy!! Shabbat morning services are full of song, teaching, moments of reflection and contemplation, and a feeling of togetherness. At Adas Israel, services begin at 9:30 am and will go until about 12-12:15 pm. Please feel free to join us right at the start at 9:30, but make sure you are there by 10 am so you don't miss any of the parts in which Priya will be playing a leadership role.
Whenever you go into a new space like a synagogue, it can sometimes feel like everyone else knows what's going on but you. But that's not the case! New people join services at Adas Israel every week, and even among those who come regularly people have a wide range of learning and experience. There are so many great resources out there for newcomers to synagogues -- here's a great one that gives a detailed but digestible overview of what to expect in terms of the structure of the service, dress and etiquette, taking breaks, etc.
Most of all -- please bring your full selves!! Whether it's your first time in Synagogue or your 100th, don't worry if there are things you don't know. Your presence and your joy are what matter most.
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