YOUNG WISDOM

This weekend was such a wild juxtaposition of sadness and joy. After the horrific news at the meeting Friday morning about Larsens being ravaged, I went to a 2 day bar mitzvah celebration for the son of a dear friend of mine. So full of love and delight, singing, dancing, laughing, even vegan food, because the entire family believes in caring for the earth! Wow. I discovered his grandmother is an environmental writer and his aunt has a book published on endangered species. Incredible to be surrounded by such consciousness of what is happening to the planet we all live on. Give me more of that!!!!!

The Rabbi of course had words to say and they were fascinating and hilarious! A bar mitzvah marks the move from childhood into adulthood. But he said rather than leave childhood behind, we want to take the beautiful things from childhood with us into adulthood. A child has a purity and singular focus that we lose as adults when we compartmentalize. They are 100% in what they are feeling, without judging themselves or questioning if they should be feeling it. He said they are "un-adulterated"!!!!! That made me laugh out loud. I've never heard the word used that way before. Brilliant. There is wisdom to listen to when a child sees something and feels moved by it. Purity of focus.

This young man who the bar mitzvah was for, is amazing. Only 13, and transitioning to becoming an adult, he spoke with such wisdom and beauty at the ceremony. I was so moved I asked if I could post part of his speech. He said yes! Listen to his words. They are gorgeous!

"The name of this week’s Torah reading is “Bereishis”, which means “In the beginning”.
Indeed, a Bar-Mitzvah is a beginning.
Yes, it is the end of one stage of life, childhood, and the start of a new stage, adulthood.
It is this transition we are celebrating today.
There is one particular verse in this week’s Torah-reading that is very meaningful in this regard.
The story being told is that of Adam, the very first human being, in the Garden of Eden.
What was the purpose of man’s being placed in this most unique place?
Says the Torah: “to work the land and protect it”.
This implies two forms of work, both pro-active and defensive.
1) “To work it” – means to nurture and develop it further.
2) “To protect it” – implies securing it from negative elements that may harm or ruin it.
All of our life is divided in these two categories of positive and negative.
There are constructive methods and destructive methods.
Similarly in Torah we find that all Mitzvot are divided into two general categories:
(a) Those which enhance and increase our relationship with Hashem and bring goodness to the world, and (b) Those which may damage our unique quality and harm us, or the world.

Adam was not merely planting and weeding, harvesting and tilling. He was no simple gardener in Eden. This was a spiritual calling to “protect” the world from evil and to also “work” by increasing goodness and positivity.

And this is the message I take for my life, as I become Bar-Mitzvah, a man of responsibility.
To both “work” the land, my own “land”, my character and personality, by developing, by growing, by doing good to others; and at the same time, to be aware and cautious not to do harm to others, to “protect” my land, my behavior, from becoming hazardous or negative.

As I become Bar-Mitzvah I am aware both of the tremendous privilege and of the responsibility.
I too, like Adam, live in a garden.
I too, like Adam, am charged with the unique role of “working and protecting” this garden.

I pray that I am given the strength to fulfill my role in this world, by doing good and preventing evil. That I follow in the pathways of my ancestors who shined great light, the light of Torah & Mitzvot, the light of Hashem – into our world."

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! THIRTEEN YEARS OLD, PEOPLE! YAY! I told you he was amazing. And what kind of earth are we going to leave him to work with? We've got to start NOW to do ALL we can to stop doing harm. These children deserve a place to live that is not poisoned and desecrated. Let's not put off changing our habits. The planet won't be the same place when he is 18 if we don't. If you don't want to do it for yourself or the planet or God, then do it for the kids coming behind you. Say YES! YES! YES!
Thanks for listening.