The Bar Mitzvah

On the cusp of manhood,
you stand here today
wrapped in a three thousand year old cloth
made of history, and tradition, and culture,
and woven together by a belief in G-d.
You have spent years
preparing to take the torch
passed on by generations of your family,
stretching back across time
in one unbroken chain,
to Mount Sinai. 
They have stood in this same place,
at this same time in their lives,
recited these same blessings,
and read from this same sacred scroll.

Like a set of hand-me-down clothes
two sizes too big,
you have yet to grow into
all the lessons you have learned,
but hopefully you have learned enough.
Enough to live a Jewish life.
Enough to know what you don’t know,
and learn more.
Enough to talk to G-d
and be confident
you will be heard.
And hopefully,
you have learned enough
to carry the torch
to another generation.

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