I am a man. Yesterday I wasn't but today I am.
Yesterday I wore a white shirt and a kipa but today
I'm wearing a suit and a black hat as well.
Every time that my hat falls over my eyes, my Ima laughs and
says that I'll grow into it. Meanwhile, my Abba showed me how
to wear it a little further back on my head.
Yesterday my Ima's father, my Saba, came over to our house.
He stood near her and I squeezed in between them. Standing on
my tiptoes I saw that I'm almost as tall as my Ima. My Saba
asked me what I would like for my bar mitzva. I told
him the truth. That I want a beard longer than his. He
stroked his long gray beard, then my smooth cheek, smiled and
then put his hands on my head and blessed me saying, "May you
grow to be a Talmud Chochom and a yerei
shomayim; may you bring tremendous nachas to your
parents and to Am Yisroel and may you grow a very,
very long beard!" I answered a loud "Amen," of
course.
At the mikva early this morning my Abba smiled and
handed me some new silverware to toivel. The forks and
spoons were considered non-Jewish before, but afterwards they
were 100% Jewish. It's amazing watching something go from one
status to another in just a moment. After the mikva we
went to my Abba's minyan. I was the tenth. Afterwards
the men slapped me on the back with broad hands and even
broader smiles and we had a small Kiddush. I felt embarrassed
but I liked all the attention and the chocolate covered
cookies.
When we finished eating breakfast, for the first time, my
Abba, my Saba and I made a mezumon. They let me lead
it. I sure felt important. While I was helping to clear off
the table, I kept thinking that now if I do anything I
shouldn't, I'm going to be in big trouble in shomayim.
It's all on me now. It's so scary! And I've been really
trying to have kavono in every word of my
brochos and my davening. It's so hard!
This afternoon we spent a couple of hours cutting up cakes
and putting my Ima's delicious food onto platters. My Aba and
Saba kept looking at me and then at each other. At the
kabbolas ponim party this evening my Abba put his arm
around my shoulder and looked at my Saba. "Before my son's
bar mitzva he was considered a boy but now he's
considered a man. It's amazing watching someone go from one
status to another in just a moment."
