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HEBREW TABERNACLE CONGREGATION September 17, 2011 D’var Torah
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Noah is in the 8th
grade at Columbia Secondary School in Manhattan where he enjoys studying
math. This past spring, he completed Kitah Zayin in the Hebrew Tabernacle Hebrew School, having attended
since Aleph class. He participates and helps out at many events in the
synagogue. Noah enjoys playing all sports, especially baseball, and has been
a pitcher in the Hudson Cliffs and Yorkville Baseball Leagues. He is an avid
fan of all sports and especially enjoys watching the Yankees, Rangers, Giants
and Knicks. Noah specializes in knowing the statistics of the teams and
players which gives him extra insight into the games. He looks forward to
spending time playing sports video games after his school work is done, as
well as hanging out with his friends. In the summers, he has attended The Y’s
Yomawa Day camp, Crane Lake camp and Camp Lindenmere. In the summer of 2011, he will be returning
to Yomawha and also attending the Nike baseball camp
at The Merchant Marine Academy. For his Bar Mitzvah project, Noah
participated in the Auschwitz Jewish Center (AJC) B’nai Mitzvah Project in which
he researched a child’s life and dedicated his celebration in the name of
this young person who was never able to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Shalom! My Torah Portion today is Ki Tavo, which in
English, means “when you come”. This phrase refers to the Jews entering
Israel, which is the land that God promised them. In the parsha,
it is stated that the Jewish people were ordered to praise God for gracing
them with Israel, “a land flowing with milk and honey”. For them to praise
God, they were ordered to take the fruit of the earth that they harvested,
put it in a basket, and go to the Holy Place. Then, they would give the
basket of goods to the priest and acknowledge, in front of God, that they had
entered the Promised Land. The priest would then take the basket and place it
in front of the altar of God. They were then ordered to recite the following
statement: My father was a fugitive Aramean.
He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he
became a great and very populous nation. The Egyptians dealt harshly with us
and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to the Lord, the
God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our plea and saw our plight, our
misery, and our oppression. The Lord freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by
an outstretched arm, and awesome power, and by signs and portents. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a
land flowing with milk and honey. Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of
soil which you, O Lord, have given me. After reciting this prayer, they would place the
basket of fruit and bow before God, and rejoice, with the Levite and the
stranger, for the harvest that God had graced upon them and their households. These words
may be familiar, since they are recited during the Passover Seder. This story of our ancestors entering the
land of Israel is a continuation of the Passover narrative, when God
liberated them from slavery. Our ancestors, during harvest time, showed their
appreciation towards God for providing them with abundant food by giving God
the best of the harvest. Also, they say the special prayer. By stating that
their father was a fugitive Aramean, they
remembered the difficult lives of Abraham and Jacob.
Abraham was an old man when he left his home and settled in a foreign
land with other immigrants. Jacob worked fourteen years for his uncle Laban and wandered around, finally arriving in Egypt,
where he was able to escape the famine in Canaan. Finally, they recalled the period of slavery and
oppression, how God had freed them with “a mighty hand, by an outstretched
arm, and awesome power”, and by bringing them into the land of Israel, “a
land flowing with milk and honey”. There are several important lessons that the Jewish
people learn from Parshat Ki Tavo. Life is a gift
from God and so is eretz Yisrael and its natural resources. In
order for the Jewish people to obtain wealth, they need to work hard, study
and use their skills to succeed, but that alone is not enough. They need help from God as well and that is why they
praise God for helping them succeed in life and making them content. The next lesson is to remember difficulties
of life in the past in times of happiness. The Jewish people learn to take
nothing for granted, so in this way, our feelings of thankfulness towards God
are deeper. The third lesson is to share parts of the harvest with the
Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, those less fortunate than us.
This is where we get the idea of giving tzedakah,
food, money or other kinds of help to those who are less fortunate. Part of
rejoicing on this special day is remembering children who never got the
chance to become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. I learned about the Auschwitz Jewish
Center’s B’nei Mitzvah project and wanted to
remember a child from Auschwitz. For example, there was a boy named Simon Silbiger, who suffered in the Holocaust. He was born on
April 14, 1929 in Oswiecim, Poland, which was renamed Auschwitz by the Nazis.
Before the war, there were about 8,900 Jews living in Oswiecim, approximately
60% of the people living there. There was a Jewish street, where there were
religious schools, a synagogue and stores. Life was pleasant for the Jews in
Oswiecim. Just like
Abraham and Jacob suffered in Egypt, Jews were persecuted under the Nazis. As
some members of our congregation may remember, Jewish people weren’t allowed
to practice Judaism and study Torah. They were prohibited from getting an
education. They had to wear yellow Jewish stars on their clothing to signify
that they were Jewish. They had to follow curfews and perform hard manual
labor. They barely got any food to eat. They were even forced to participate in medical
studies by Nazi doctors without their consent. In 1941,
Simon’s brother Samuel was forced to leave the family and go to a labor camp.
Meanwhile the rest of the family was sent to live in a ghetto. The ghetto
became overcrowded as Jews from nearby towns were ordered to move into the
ghetto. In 1943, the Jews were forced to move to another ghetto. From there,
the Nazis began deporting Jews. The healthy Jews, like Simon’s father and two
older sisters, were sent to labor camps where they survived the war. Simon and his mother were immediately sent to
Auschwitz because she was too weak and he was too young to work. The camp at Auschwitz where Simon’s life ended was
only a few miles from his hometown. By remembering Simon Silbiger,
I acknowledge that life is a gift and realize how fortunate I am to be able
to celebrate my Bar Mitzvah. I’d like to thank the
following people: Rabbi Gale for leading
the service and for his very helpful coaching on the entire Bar Mitzvah
process. Cantor Rubel for making
today’s service so melodious and enjoyable and for her valuable feedback
on the flow of my parts of the service. Nina Nesher,
my Bar Mitzvah tutor, for her skill as a teacher, the expectations
she had for me, and her great patience. Connie Heymann who
was a great Hebrew School Principal and helped me and my family
prepare as our Bar Mitzvah mentor. My family members and
family friends who traveled great distances to celebrate with me
today. My Hebrew School, Amistad
and CSS friends, some of whom I have been with since Kindergarten. All of my teachers at
Hebrew School, Amistad and CSS. Daniel Koy,
my older brother, for talking with me about my Bar Mitzvah and for designing
the logo for my T-shirts. My wonderful mom and dad,
who have helped me persevere in preparing for my Bar Mitzvah and made sure
that today was really special. All of you who came here
today to celebrate my Bar Mitzvah with me. Shabbat Shalom!
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