Jordan has become bar mitzvah! Actually I think a boy becomes bar mitzvah on his thirteenth birthday with or without a ceremony; but it’s an awesome ceremony, and we are glad we all got to participate fully in it. His responsibilities included leading the regular Shabbat prayer service, chanting a particular part of Torah by reading straight from the Torah scroll itself, chanting an accompanying reading from another part of the bible (the Haftarah), and delivering a d’var (a sermon – the word “d’var” means “word”). It’s a lot to prepare for and he was beautifully prepared. Six years of religious school and one year of Seattle Jewish Community School laid a strong foundation, along with six years in the Northwest Boychoir (because most of the service is sung, and by now anything Jordan can learn by singing he can learn in no time flat). Then for the past six months Jordan has had excellent tutoring by a young man who is an alum of both SJCS and the Boychoir. He also had multiple meetings with the rabbi and cantor to develop his d’var and rehearse it all. With the guidance of all these excellent mentors, and consistent practice supervised by Dale and me, Jordan found himself quite confident and relaxed in the weeks leading up to the event. Here he is looking cool in his new suit, along with his proud brother.
Then, the Tuesday before his bar mitzvah, he got sick – a nasty fever that had him lying on the couch barely moving, and a deep, racking cough. We talked to his doctor, but he said it was almost certainly viral, meaning there was very little to do but wait it out. On Thursday the fever was gone, so we were optimistic that he’d be okay on Saturday.
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