Come Worship With Us!

If you can’t attend, please click here to join us online. Follow the directions to watch the live videostream as Nate becomes Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 9:30 AM.

With help from Cantor Buchdahl, we put together a little intro for you in case you’ve never been to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah before — or just never attended one at Central Synagogue. Unlike many synagogues, Central Synagogue does not single out the becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah as a service of its own, but rather includes it within Shabbat worship. And the Shabbat worship at Central is joyous and spiritual, warm and inviting – and usually attendant to a full house of friends and family, regular congregants and visitors from anywhere and everywhere. The service is filled with music, sung mainly in Hebrew with full transliteration so that all can join in, even if they are from another congregation or another religious tradition. Everyone present is part of our sacred community that morning.

During the service, I will read a portion from the Torah – the handwritten scroll containing the five books of Moses. One portion of the Torah is read each week of the year – the same portion the same week each year. My portion (or Parshah) is called B’shalach . It was identified for me as soon as we knew my Bar Mitzvah date and it relates the story of the Israelites crossing the desert after they have escaped from Egypt and crossed the Sea of Reeds. Even after God has given them water and manna (food), the Israelites continue to question the Moses’ leadership and God’s promises. Stay tuned! It’s a great story!

I’ll then chant from the Haftarah — a term literally meaning “conclusion,” as it’s read immediately after the Torah portion is complete. The Haftarah is a lesson from the Prophets and there’s always some similarity between the Sidrah (the weekly Torah portion) and the selection from the Haftorah. Finally, I’ll lead a D’var Torah – a teaching — bringing the lessons of the Torah and Haftarah into my modern perspective. In this way, I’m showing I’m familiar with Jewish tradition and am ready to embrace Jewish life.

Becoming a Bar Mitzvah is not a magical moment, but, as I turn 13, marks the stage of life at which I begin to take responsibility for the mitzvot — good deeds – and for my own moral decisions and actions. It celebrates the process of becoming a Jewish adult committed to the life practices of Judaism.  I’m told it will take years of guidance and learning to accomplish the goals set out by becoming Bar Mitzvah. At this Shabbat service, my parents and I look forward to your joining us in recognizing this new chapter of growth and responsibility  in my life. And we look forward to your being part of that continued growth for years and years to come.