* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
“Shalom. My name is Nir. I’m 50 years old and I just celebrated my bar mitzvah this past Shabbat. When I was 13, I didn’t know anything about a Sefer Torah or tefillin. Over the years, I’ve made a lot of progress, but I always felt that I had missed out.
For the past few years, I’ve been praying at a Chabad shul in the Agamim neighborhood of Netanya. As my fiftieth birthday approached, the rabbi asked me: “What is your bar mitzvah parasha?” I was really embarrassed and didn’t know what to say. Finally, I replied: “Honorable rabbi, I never had a bar mitzvah so I don’t know.” I’m so connected to Judaism today that my rabbi couldn’t believe it. When my friends at shul heard about this, they decided that on my birthday, the eighth of Cheshvan, which was this past Shabbat, they would make a bar mitzvah for me.
Even now, as I write these words, I still feel so emotional. I haven’t gotten over what happened on Shabbat! In parashat “Lech Lecha,” which is my bar mitzvah parasha, we read how Avraham Avinu undergoes a brit milah at age 99. This was really inspiring for me because I thought that if Avraham could have a brit at such an advanced age, I could celebrate my bar mitzvah at age 50. It’s never too late! I’m sending this note in order encourage others to do the same.
Just picture a 50-year-old father standing there as his children throw candy at him at his bar mitzvah. This actually happened to me! I was also privileged to have my own father place his hands on my head during Birkat Kohanim (the Priestly Blessing) for the first time. This was definitely one of the highlights of my life. A mother-in-law doesn’t usually attend her son-in-law’s bar mitzvah, but my mother-in-law said that she was privileged to do so!
Naturally, over the course of the festive meals, songs, and prayers, we also paid tribute to our hostages, soldiers, and the entire nation. I would like to thank to my family, my Chabad rabbi, Rav Raphael Loyov and, of course, God, who never gives up on any of us.
May we all have the opportunity to make up what we have missed and to rectify, no matter our age or situation.
(Before Shabbat, I took a picture of the preparations for the seuda that took place after I had my aliya to the Torah. Just picture the room below filled with people and overflowing with joy!)
