Torah Portion:	Korach / Rosh Chodesh
Synagogue:	One that I have been to before
Walking time from home:	More than half an hour
Reason for going:	Bar Mitzvah
Kiddush:	Large catered kiddush

This week I went to a shule that I have been to several times before, so rather than write about the shule, I will write about the reason for going there: a Bar Mitzvah. Like any coming of age ceremony, it was a joyous occasion, but for this family it was potentially even more special than normal.

As we heard during the kiddush, the birthday of the boy was almost a month ago, but the Bar Mitzvah was delayed so that it could take place during the school holidays, which also coincided with an opportune time for family members to travel from overseas. The father of the boy has been living in Australia for nearly 20 years, but this is the first time that his parents and some of his siblings were able to visit him. Some were scheduled to come a couple of years ago for the older son’s Bar Mitzvah, but both the celebrations and travel plans were cancelled due to Covid. This time, not only did they make it but they were mentioned numerous times and were warmly welcomed.

On top of that, this was a special Shabbat on the Jewish calendar. Obviously there is Rosh Chodesh (the first day of a new month) every month, but it doesn’t always fall on a Shabbat. Whenever it does occur, there are extra prayers and an extra Torah reading, and whenever that happens, but particularly on a Shabbat, it makes the service much longer. However, most of the extra prayers are about praise, which for a celebration like a Bar Mitzvah only adds to the joy.

I don’t know when the family decided to delay the Bar Mitzvah, but I do know that the boy read most of the Torah reading for this week. Considering it takes most boys of that age quite a number of months to learn the reading, for his sake I hope the change of date happened quite a while ago. Either way, he performed flawlessly and seemed to take it in his stride. He even gave a very confident speech in front of the large gathered crowd, and didn’t seem phased by the experience. Later at the kiddush the father told a story about his son’s birth just over 13 years ago on a Shabbat, so having this Bar Mitzvah on a Shabbat, particularly a special Shabbat, made the day even more auspicious for the whole family.

As is often the case, families invite not just friends and family to special occasions like this, but work colleagues as well, many of whom often are not Jewish. I walked in a little late but almost immediately gravitated to the back of the room where I saw two guys who stood out as being non-Jewish. As is my wont, I chose to sit next to them and helped them navigate through the service. A Jewish guy next to us but one who doesn’t go to shule very often, later told me that my explanations helped him better understand the service too. And it made me realise that although the service can sometimes seem a little chaotic, especially during a celebration, there is a method to the madness and a reason for everything. During a service like this, there were breaks between Torah readings and everyone who got called up received an extended personal prayer of gratitude (Mi Sheberach), but that only made it more special for them. The non-Jewish guests were particularly enthralled by the lolly throwing that happened after the Bar Mitzvah boy was called up and the running around by the kids to collect the lollies, but again, that only added to the excitement of the day.

The shule is relatively small but I think on this day every available seat was taken, with a few extra ones as well. It was hard to even see who was there, and especially so on the women’s side. But at the kiddush it was a great opportunity to chat with friends and with the family of the boy, and overall, it was great to celebrate this special occasion, even if it was at a shule I have been to before.