Personal Narrative: Bar Mitzvah
Typically, people avoid going outside of their comfort zone due to their reservations and fear of the situation. Ironically, stepping outside of one’s comfort zone allows them to gain a new perspective on the world from the eyes of others. Although these experiences still scare me to some extent, I have learned to value the lessons learned from stepping outside of my comfort zone. On one occasion, I had the honor of attending a Bar Mitzvah when I was twelve. My family is Christian except for my aunt who converted to Judaism in order to marry into a Jewish family. No one in my family had ever experienced a Bar Mitzvah up close and personal before and truly did not know what to expect. Everything from the ceremony, to the party, and the people
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At first the Bar Mitzvah was daunting. I did not have a remarkable amount of knowledge of what Judaism was, nor did I understand their traditions. The ceremony was three times longer than a normal Sunday at church, and I barely understood what was being said because in the Jewish faith, scripture is often read in Hebrew. All I remember was my cousin reading from the Torah and singing. The party was unlike anything I had ever seen. There were strobe lights and a DJ and my aunt was lifted up on a chair and danced around. Toward the end of the night, the remaining guests circled up and all gave sort of a toast to my cousin. At that moment, I finally understood what the whole Bar Mitzvah was about because of those speeches. The Bar Mitzvah was not about the presents my cousin received or the party, or even about him becoming a full member of the synagogue. The celebration signaled that from this point on, my cousin had now become fully accountable for his actions and his study of Judaism. Until this point, I defined an adult as being someone who did adult things, like drive, cook, or make decisions. That night I learned from a faith different than mine what being an adult was about. An adult takes responsibility for their actions and their life. After coming to this understanding, I began to apply this new knowledge to my life.
At first the Bar Mitzvah was daunting. I did not have a remarkable amount of knowledge of what Judaism was, nor did I understand their traditions. The ceremony was three times longer than a normal Sunday at church, and I barely understood what was being said because in the Jewish faith, scripture is often read in Hebrew. All I remember was my cousin reading from the Torah and singing. The party was unlike anything I had ever seen. There were strobe lights and a DJ and my aunt was lifted up on a chair and danced around. Toward the end of the night, the remaining guests circled up and all gave sort of a toast to my cousin. At that moment, I finally understood what the whole Bar Mitzvah was about because of those speeches. The Bar Mitzvah was not about the presents my cousin received or the party, or even about him becoming a full member of the synagogue. The celebration signaled that from this point on, my cousin had now become fully accountable for his actions and his study of Judaism. Until this point, I defined an adult as being someone who did adult things, like drive, cook, or make decisions. That night I learned from a faith different than mine what being an adult was about. An adult takes responsibility for their actions and their life. After coming to this understanding, I began to apply this new knowledge to my life.