Dear TBZ community:
This Shabbat, TBZ joins Jewish communities across North America in celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Bat Mitzvah! Here are some things that I remember about my own Bat Mitzvah (August 16, 1986 in Santiago, Chile):
A lot of people showed up (My dad was the chief Rabbi of Chile, I assume that most if not all the Jewish community in Santiago was invited).
My Torah Reading and Haftarah: I learned the full parsaha (Vaetchanan) and Haftarah, and I still can chant it almost by heart, though when I learned it I learned it from a cassette instead of learning the trope, which I learned many years later. (I do not remember what I talked about and I do not have it… this was before computers).
The cake: We had the most amazing cake, so big, to feed the whole community. It looked more like a wedding cake than a bat mitzvah one, which is good, because I did not have a wedding cake at my wedding.
My grandparents: all four of them were there. The pictures I have with them still inspire me.
Lighting candles in my own candle sticks for the first time, with my mom and my sisters (and my cousin and a friend). That was a sweet moment and since then I kept lighting my own candles.
The rabbi, as my dad was the rabbi of the community, we had a dear friend, who I still call my friend and my rabbi, Rabbi Guillermo Bronstein who came from Peru to help officiate my bat mitzvah. Since then, we have stayed close. One of the sweetest moments in our relationship was when I asked him to write a recommendation letter for me to go to rabbinical school.
“When Judith Kaplan became the first American girl to have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony on March 18, 1922 at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism (SAJ), she had no idea that her actions would change Jewish communal life forever. But something unexpected happened along the way. As increasing numbers of girls ascended the bimah, girls and women began to expect—and demand—access to ritual honors and synagogue leadership. Bat Mitzvah firsts were a catalyst for expanding all women’s participation in Jewish life and paved the way for people of all genders to mark their coming-of-age in new and inclusive ways.” (from JWA website)
It is so meaningful for me to reflect on the history of Bat Mitzvah — and on my own Bat Mitzvah — one week before my daughter Alma’s Bat Mitzvah. She will have her Bat Mitzvah at the start of the second century of girls having these celebrations and she will be wearing her new tallit, which she chose to be my tallit from my Bat Mitzvah. As we joked that she will be wearing a very old tallit, a 35- year-old tallit, I realized that like Judith Kaplan, each time another girl and woman ascends to the bimah, we change Judaism in ways that invite more inclusion and possibility.
This week's parsha, parshat Tzav, continues with the detailed description of all the different sacrifices. What stood out for me as I read it in this Bat Mitzvah anniversary are the three times that the parasha says כל זכר - translated as “Only the men''. In the context of the Torah reading we are told that only the men descended from Aaron can partake in the eating of the sacrifices. What is most interesting about this, is that in the context of the text this could be understood as a statement of inclusion: “every male” or “all-male” — permitting all priests, even those who do not officiate the ritual, to partake in the offering. Of course, we also don't know about Aaron having daughters, but not having them mentioned in the Torah doesn't mean he didn’t have them, but reminds us of the ways that our tradition was centered only on the experience of men and only in their participation. Women are rarely centered in the narratives of our story and when that happens, we take them as role models and know about their uniqueness.
To celebrate this weekend, we collected pictures of TBZ members at their Bat Mitzvah celebration. You can see the wonderful slideshow below. Seeing pictures of some of our members ranging from 1959 until just a few months ago is a reminder of how when we make Torah accessible to all, we make Torah relevant and meaningful.
As a rabbi who works with students towards their celebrations, I know that my most important message, no matter their gender identity, is that Judaism is their home, and that in Torah we find inspiration to live every day meaningfully and intentionally, to build a better world, a just world, a world of love and to bring God’s presence to our lives.
As a mom about to accompany my daughter into this milestone next week, I am filled with pride for what she has accomplished, and mostly I am so moved to see her belong to communities that do not question the role of women in Judaism and encourage her to lift her voice. I can’t wait to hear her chant Torah and teach us Torah next shabbat!
Tomorrow, we are excited to welcome Dr. Judith Rosenbaum, TBZ member and CEO of the Jewish Women Archive, to speak to us about this milestone in the Jewish World.
May this Shabbat bring renewal and blessings to all of you and your loved ones.
May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity.
May all those who are ill find healing.
May we have a joyful and restful Shabbat!
Shabbat Shalom,
