There are few groups that have had to adjust their expectations more during the pandemic, thanthis year’s B Mitzvah class. Plans have had to be reworked once, twice, and, sometimes three or four times, with dates and times normally set in stone three years in advance, suddenly altered at the very last minute. Parties, often the centerpiece, of the coming of age ceremony, either scrapped or pared down an almost unrecognizable level. To Max, Julia, Jacob, Carly, Dahlia, Bryce, and now this coming Shabbat, Sarah, thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with it and putting the hard work into it that allowed you to succeed despite everything that was thrown at you. Thank you for inspiring me, Cantor Frank, Harvey Horowitz, Joanne Marquisee, and in deed, the entire community. If you want to “shep nachas,” to truly have your hearts be overfilled with pride, take a look at our CSS Facebook page and watch the faces of these young men and women after they have completed their mighty task.
In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, we take a trip back in time to late March and early April, with the bringing of first fruits and the reciting of “Arami Oved Avi,” the text that serves as the basis of the Passover Haggadah. In the text the first words are ambiguous and can be read as either an Aramean oppressing my father, or my father being a wandering Aramean. It is easy to think that the pandemic as a mysterious force oppressing us and that we have been running from over the past six-months. Or, we think of ourselves as being one with Covid, surviving andthriving in perilous times. The Bnei Mitzvah Class of 2020, both those who have already celebrated their important event and those whose dates are still upcoming in the next few months, certainly fit into the latter category. They are, and will always be, the Class of Covid, joining thousands of others around the world whose big events have faced the same challenging circumstances. As I have told them directly over and over again, they should think of this, not as an absence on their journeys toward adulthood, but as a point of pride. On behalfof all of us, thank you for sticking with it and inspiring us all with your strength and perseverance.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 09/01/2020 by Marc Slonim