The Speeches

Remember when Paige and her parents said that awesome stuff?

Jesse's Speech Passing the Torah to Paige

Paige, you have made us so proud in so many ways and for so long. But nothing so far compares to this. The enthusiasm and seriousness you brought to your entire bat mitzvah process has shown your dedication to your faith, your family, and your community. When we pass you the Torah, it’s a sign that you have earned and that you accept that responsibility, to maintain that dedication.

There are so many ways to identify you. Or rather, there are many ways in which you identify yourself. But what they all share in common is your passion. There are lots of things you like, lots of things you enjoy. Spongebob, Harry Potter, the Terps and the Nats, Mexican food. And there are lots of things that you strive to be better at. Schoolwork, no matter how irritating, is something you always want to do your best at.

But then there are the things that really define you. The things that you really value and treasure, the things for which you have a real passion. The things that you are always trying to work on, to perfect. Not because you can, or because you have to, but because you want to. Because you’re passionate about them.

Your passion for lacrosse has made you a good friend, teammate, athlete, and fan.

Your passion for the cello has made you a good musician, strengthened your work ethic, and helped you enjoy practicing.

Your passion for nature and animals has made you a good and trusted volunteer, an important part of the community. It’s increased your knowledge of our environment and helped you bond with people you might never have thought you shared interests with. And your vegetarianism has helped you understand sacrifice, how to express yourself, and how to stick to your core beliefs.

But what makes me happiest, makes me proudest, is your passion for Judaism. Beth El and your family get lots of credit for making you want to be a Jew. But you get the most credit. You’ve embraced this. Anybody who knows you knows you’re not standing here because you like speaking in front of large crowds. Or because there’s nothing that excites you more than a DJ and a dance floor. This has been your choice since day one. And you chose it because you are passionate about being a Jew. You enjoy it and you want to get better at it. You like learning the language. You revel in the traditions. You love the history – of our people and of our family. You embrace tikkun olam, the concept of healing the world. Each time you take a plastic bag with you to pick up trash on the way to school, each time you help a younger kid appreciate a snake or a turtle, each time your cheer on another goalie from the sideline because she’s your friend and teammate, each time you do a chore unasked, each time you note how something reminds you of an ancestor. Each of those is what makes you a Jew. A passionate Jew.

Paige, we’re so proud of the person you’ve become. You’ll eventually put this Torah back in the ark, but its essence will always be a part of you. We love you.

Paige's Speech Accepting the Torah

This is a very important milestone in my life. I feel much more responsible than I did a year ago, or even an hour ago. This experience has helped me make a connection to Judaism and a connection to God. For me, this means my Dad is passing down his generation of Judaism down from his parents and from all of my ancestors to me and for my Mom and her family to be a part of it. This makes me feel honored that I am trustworthy enough for my parents to give me all of this. I would like to thank both of my parents for helping me along the way and encouraging me to study and learn to help me become what I am today. My Cantor taught me and my class in 6th grade Torah trope, which isn’t an opportunity most Jewish kids get, so thank you Cantor Kaufman. Robin Thompson, my tutor, also did so much to prepare me for his day. Finally, thank you Rabbi Isserow for preparing me for this day. I can’t believe this day has finally come.

Paige's D'Var Torah

In my Torah portion, God is simply creating light, the sky, land, and the ocean. These 4 things are basically the building blocks of our world today. Without these 4 things, humans and animals can’t live because they need plants to eat; the plants need land, water, and light to grow.

Now, this Torah portion isn’t the most realistic. You probably don’t believe this is how the world was literally created. Though Jews do have the more believable version; unlike one of China’s where the first man hatched from an egg. When he died, his remains became the rest of Earth. But we all believe the Genesis creation story isn’t literal because of one word: science! Most of you may have been to the National Museum of Natural History in D.C. which has a famous exhibit about humans in their “early stages.” We also know a lot about evolution, which is when things change to adapt to their environment to live. So if all this science proves that this story isn’t true, then why do we still read it? The same reason we read all of the Torah portions, because they have important lessons in them.

As told by the Torah, on the 5th and early on the 6th day, God created animals and told them to multiply and all that nasty stuff. It isn’t until late the 6th day until God creates humans. So does that make us the most important species? Many people think we are most superior, thinking we can do anything to Earth and animals, and do not understand how dependent everything is on each other. Even flies were made before us, and we hardly notice them throughout our day, but are important to all life. Maybe we should make an effort to see the world from different points of view. If we see a bug on the sidewalk, don’t squish it. If you see a snake, don’t run away screaming, because he will be just as scared as you. We can’t all be independent, but depend on each other to do this, and that makes us all better species.

Nothing God creates can survive without each other, so what would happen if something as tiny as a creek would disappear? Then all the fish in the creek would die, then the animals that eat fish would die, and then the animals that eat fish-eating animals will die. This could happen one day where a creek may just have too much sediment and disappear, and the animals living there can’t stop that from happening, but we can. We need to help protect the land that God gave us and do something about it!

One thing I’ve been doing to help the environment is volunteering at Hidden Pond Nature Center. There, I help take care of the animals, take care of problems there, like invasive species, and teach people about nature. This helps people be aware of what is happening around them and the effect they have. Hidden Pond is about 100 feet by 300 feet big, so how does something that small affect anything? Well, Hidden Pond drains into Pohick Creek, which goes into Chesapeake Bay which goes into the ocean. Drains on the road and sidewalks aren’t sewers; they lead straight into a watershed. We can’t be contaminating our world like that. We have to take action on this by not doing things like littering and causing pollution by over-fertilizing or illegal dumping. One way to do this is just outside, we have a cistern that our rainfall goes into, and in there, sediments and oils and other bad things sink to the bottom and clean water emerges. If we just had more cisterns, Earth would be a healthier place. God gave us Earth, and now we have to do our share by keeping Earth.

B’reishit reminds us that the Earth is a gift that God entrusted us with, but we have to do our share of being co-creators for Earth for all the future generations to follow us.

Anna's Blessing for Paige

For the little girl you were

A head of angelic blonde curls

A child of few words

Watching, observing, absorbing

For the young woman you are today

A lover of animals

Who respects and cares for the earth

An accomplished musician

Who strengthens the ensemble

A protector of goals

A rider of waves

My fellow reader

For the woman you will become

Thoughtful

Articulate

Accomplished

Admired

May you always

Respect others, exploring differences, finding common ground

Protect and nurture the world around you

Continue to learn, continue to grow

Share your joy with your family, your friends, your community

Carry peace in your heart