Bat Mitzvah Blues

By Sasha

"AAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Becoming a Bat Mitzvah is not an easy decision, I don’t think that I can go through with it! You are probably wondering what a Bat Mitzvah is. It is a big ceremony for girls after they have gone through 4 years of Hebrew school. It is just like school. After 4 years you have a big graduation. When a boy or girl reach the age of 13 they are faced with a very difficult decision that will change the rest of their lives. They must decide if they are prepared to take on an adult's responsibility in Judaism. They must also decide if they are ready to live their life as a Jew, from now on. If they decide that they are ready to meet the requirements of a Bar Mitzvah, meaning son, or a Bat Mitzvah, meaning daughter, they must complete the following tasks: They must lead a ceremony and read a parsha, meaning portion, out of a Torah scroll containing the Five Books of Moses. After that is completed they must do a Tzdakah project. A Tzdakah project is a good deed that you do that not only helps one person but a group of people. For my Tzdakah project I gave a portion of the money I got at my Bat Mitzvah to the Simon Wisenthal Center to Promote Tolerance in the World. When all this is completed their next requirements are to uphold a Jewish life and live by God’s Commandments.

So after becoming a Bat Mitzvah, your responsibilities never stop. You have to be prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead of you. It is a difficult decision to make at the age of 13, but it helps prepare you for the upcoming difficult decisions that you will be faced with in life. It really helps you to think about your future and that your parents aren’t always going to be there to pick you up and kiss your bruises when you fall. I think that I am now ready to take on this responsibility, but I am still a little uneasy about the whole situation.

"No! I am not going," I screamed as I ran into my room. I slammed the door and started crying hysterically. I was so nervous to become a Bat Mitzvah.

"Sasha, can I come in?" my mom quietly asked.

"Yes," I sniffled.

" I know that you are scared. It’s normal to feel that way. I felt the same way when I had my Bat Mitzvah," my mom sympathetically stated. "Here is something for you. My mom gave these to me when I had my Bat Mitzvah," she added. She held out a packet of Life Savors. They were glowing with shiny gold specks, sitting there so gracefully in my mother's gentle hands. As my mom pushed these miracles into my hands she explained to me the meaning of them. "The glow of the Life Savors represents the glow in your personality. It will help remind you to just let that wonderful personality of yours take over. The sweet taste represents the sweetness of your heart. And the color red represents the everlasting love that your friends and family feel for you. All these special qualities of the Life Savors represent the special qualities in you. During your ceremony you may feel all alone up on the podium, but your not. God will be with you. He will remind you of the Life Savors and the wonderful qualities that you have. I know you are going to shine, just like the Life Savors," my mom lovingly explained.

The next day I woke up feeling like a courageous knight that had just won a battle against a ferocious, hairy, fire-breathing, dragon! As I stepped into Edgewood Golf Course (where my Bat Mitzvah was being held) all the nonsense about a ferocious, hairy, fire-breathing, dragon all quickly faded away. It was like I had just been defeated, the dragon was swallowing me into his mouth, and there was no escaping. My stomach was bouncing up and down in all directions. I had gigantic butterflies flapping wildly around in my stomach. All my friends and relatives were there, "Mazel Tov," they all congratulated. They were smiling at me and giving me big tight hugs. They almost squeezed the butterflies right out of my stomach. Boy, I wish they would have!

"Welcome everyone," I announced in an uneasy voice. I was in front of hundreds of people all staring and smiling at me. It felt like I was in front of a whole kingdom looking upon me for the answers to their questions. I closed my eyes, hoping they would all go away once I opened my eyes again. As I started to open my eyes, I could see my mom mouth, "You can do it!" My mouth was so dry and I wasn’t feeling so well. I was ready to pass out.

"Look down," I heard my mom whisper. So I looked down and there right in front of my eyes, were the glowing miracles, the Life Savors! I slowly opened them and took one off the top. It was so shiny and red. I popped it into my mouth and all of a sudden I felt like a courageous knight again. I slowly looked around the room, (And God said unto Noah), I chanted as I began the ceremony. As the ceremony went on, I felt as though everyone in the room could feel the miracle that I felt. A wonderful feeling of joy came upon me as the ceremony ended. I was so thankful that all the people that share a special part of my life were there to support me. This day was another step to becoming a woman in my Jewish life, one I will never forget. In about 30 years when I'm looking back on my life this will be one memory that will stand above the rest!