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To My Son On The Initiation Of His Adulthood |
My Dear Son,
Your days as a little boy are now over. With today's celebration of
your birth we also publicly state a change in how adults around you
will now view you and how you will view yourself.
It is your Bar Mitzvah.
"Bar Mitzvah" literally means "son of the commandment." "Bar" is "son"
in Aramaic, which was the language of the Jewish people. "Mitzvah" is
"commandment" in both Hebrew and Aramaic.
Under Jewish Law, children are not obligated to observe the
commandments, although they are encouraged to do so as much as possible
to learn the obligations they will have as adults. At the age of 13
boys become obligated to observe the commandments in the Jewish faith.
The Bar Mitzvah ceremony in Israel formally marks the assumption of
that obligation, along with the corresponding right to take part in
leading religious services, to form binding contracts, to testify
before religious courts and to marry. A Jewish boy automatically
becomes a Bar Mitzvah upon reaching the age of 13 years. No ceremony is
needed to confer these rights and obligations. The popular bar mitzvah
ceremony that you and I saw at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and that
we will enjoy today is not required, and does not fulfill any
commandment
In its earliest and most basic form, a Bar Mitzvah is the celebrant's
first aliyah (or return to Israel). During Shabbat services on a
Saturday, shortly on or after the child's 13th birthday, the celebrant
is called up to the Torah to recite a blessing over the weekly reading.
Shabbat is ending as we call you up today. This is your service. This
is your celebration.
The celebrant is also generally required to make a speech, which
traditionally begins with the phrase "today I am a man." As the father,
I will recite a blessing thanking God for removing the burden of being
responsible for your sins, as Joseph did for Jesus and as every Jewish
dad has done for his son. In modern times, the religious service is
followed by a reception that is often as elaborate as a wedding
reception as we will have later tonight, though ours is not that
ornate.
The age set for bar mitzvah is not an outdated notion based on the
needs of an agricultural society, as some suggest. This criticism comes
from a misunderstanding of the significance of the Bar Mitzvah. Bar
Mitzvah is not about being a full adult in every sense of the word,
ready to marry, go out on your own, earn a living and raise children.
It is said that while 13 is the proper age for fulfillment of the
Commandments, 18 starts the proper age for Marriage and 20 is the
proper age for earning a livelihood.
So today, Colin William Mansfield, I bring you forward to stand in
front of the men most significant in your life, many of whom have known
you since you were a babe. All of whom have held you in their heart, lo
these 13 years of life.
Each man will read a highly personal letter to you, each letter will
have the wisdom, advice and encouragement of an adult man ~ only
obtained by having lived life with a focus on the Father in Heaven.
Other letters will be read, sent by equally significant men in your
life who were simply unable to be in attendance tonight; all of whom
hold you in the deepest of affection and respect.
Today, Colin, you are a man. You are no longer a little boy, but instead you are a man.
I am your father. I begat you. I love you. I care deeply for whom you
have become and for whom you will yet mature to be. Let it be said with
strength and dignity today, with purpose and passion that Colin William
Mansfield is a man.
And as your father, I bless you and honor you. I lift your chin to the
heavens and I adjure you to follow me only as I follow Jehovah God,
maker of the heavens and the earth. We will do this together in Jesus'
name and by His power.
Shabbot Shalom,
You loving Dad
Dennis Mansfield
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