Seth Maron Dvar Torah

My Torah portion is called Shmini and it’s found in the third book of the Torah which is called Vayikra.  The Torah portion starts on the 8th day of the dedication of the Tent of Meeting where the sacrifices would take place.  There are many themes discussed including Pesach, the death of Nadav and Avihu and the laws of keeping Kosher.

At the time of my parshah, the Israelites were in the Sinai desert on the way to the Promised Land.  When Hashem spoke to Moses, it was in the Tent of Meeting at the centre of the camp of the Israelites.  This made me think about the community that existed then and all the communities I am part of.

For example, there is my family who make me feel safe, secure and loved.

There are my sports teams at school, where I can help my teammates, and grow my sporting and leadership skills. 

There is my shul here where I get to pray and celebrate with my fellow Jews and to learn about being Jewish and preparing for my barmy.

On the bigger scale there is being a South African, being proud of my country and its traditions.  

These are all communities that I belong to and I thought about the different ways that you become part of one.  

For example you might be born into your family or being Jewish.  You don’t choose it, it just comes to you.  Other communities, you join during your life, like my school, the shul and my sports teams. The ones that I was born into come from my family and my ancestors.  The ones I choose are my own decisions and I will continue to choose new communities as I grow.  My bar mitzvah is a good example of both, because I did choose to have one, but I think if I chose not to, my parents would not have been very happy.

Community is important because it brings new friends and people to talk to.  Communities are made up of different people, each one unique and it's interesting to me to see that.

Communities need leadership.  Take Siya Kolisi and the way he leads the Springboks. When the team is down, he picks them up and they end up winning.  

Another aspect of being in a community is sometimes you give things up to be part of the team.  My Torah portion talks about keeping kosher and if someone offered me a pork chop I would say, sorry, I am Jewish and I don’t eat pork.  If they wanted to know why, you can read my Torah portion where it explains that even though pigs have split hooves, they don’t chew their cud.  So no pork chops for me, thanks!

So today is my bar mitzvah, when I become a Jewish adult and take on the responsibilities of being a Jew.  It was interesting to find in my Torah portion laws of the Kohanim, who were Aaron and his sons and to think that my father’s ancestors were once those very same Kohanim.  I am sure that each generation that has come before me would be proud to see me here today celebrating my bar mitzvah.

Shabbat Shalom