art in its rawest form

Saturday I went to Temple Beth Shalom in Austin for Nic's Bar Mitzvah. Absolutely everything I know about the Jewish faith has come from my 10 year friendship with CiCi, and even then I realized Saturday that I don't know much. So I sat in the synagogue holding my prayer book upside down and backwards wondering what I was about to witness.

At 13 Nic can read, speak, and write in Hebrew. He spoke with such eloquence and confidence I was a proud "mom." I remember how painful it was for him to do his studies, but how easily it came to him. It was amazing that Saturday was a testament to his hard work.

During the Bar Mitzvah the Rabbi brought in the Torah and handed it to Nic's grandfather, who handed it to his grandmother, who handed it to his mother, and then to his father. It was then that the Torah was handed from Nic's father directly to Nic. Nic, who stands maybe 5'2 and probably 100lbs, was there holding up the massive weight of the Torah. Leaned against his chest and resting on his right shoulder, he carried the weight through the seats of family and friends, who would touch the Torah with their tallit or their prayer book. After he had circled the room he brought the Torah to the front altar and read Genesis 12:1-6, 15:1-5, and then Isaiah 41:8-14, all read in Hebrew. Following the readings Nic gave his thoughts on what he had read, which was then followed by the Rabbi's comments.

The symbolism of it all had me in tears.

Jordan (Nic's younger sister) and I used to play a game. We would get a blank piece of paper and I would draw an arbitrary design, Jordan would copy my act by creating her own design on top of mine. It would be my turn again and I would repeat the process just as Jordan would. Gradually our designs would intertwine and would develop into a picture. Initially our actions were based off of what each of us saw in the picture, however as the size and details of the designed progressed it would eventually form into something we both recognized, it was at that point that we would take turns adding the details to finalize our picture.

At 13, Nic is no longer that blank piece of paper, he has a foundation of where he stands and who he is, and now over time he will have friends, peers, strangers, and family all come in and out of his life leaving their own impression. At times Nic's interactions may alter his beliefs, while at others it will strengthen them, however each will play an important role in the ultimate determination of who he is and what he stands for. This is what I took from the Bar Mitzvah at least...