November 10, 2024
Blessing for a Bat Mitzvah Student After Trump Was Elected
We are about to begin the Torah service, which is a time of joy. We are inviting you up to read our sacred texts for the first time before your community. The question many of us are asking is: How can we rejoice in the service and at your bat mitzvah when we feel so terrible about the results of the election?
The ancient Rabbis had thought quite a bit about this predicament. They asked, what do you do if a funeral procession and a wedding procession meet at an intersection in the center of town? Rashi elaborates, “When the bride comes out from her father’s home to the wedding hall at the same time [as] those accompanying a dead body for burial and both groups will be shouting – one group with joy and the other in mourning and we don’t want to mix the two,…” – What do we do?
Jewish tradition teaches: “The wedding procession goes first.”
Many of us have been in mourning since Tuesday night. These feelings of sharp despair can be symbolized by a funeral procession; the joy we feel at your bat mitzvah can be symbolized by a wedding party. The Rabbis are teaching us that joy and gladness take precedence over grief and loss. We certainly feel that grief and loss, but Jewish tradition is clear: Joy must not be delayed. Celebration comes before rituals of sadness, which are important, but can be done at a later time.
We are supposed to be welcoming you into a world where we are confident in our future, where we believe that even though our world is plagued by war and racism and poverty, we can reassure you that things will get better, that we are headed in the right direction. And given the election results we just can’t do that.
But we can look to our tradition for wisdom. I want to talk about three women from our tradition who could be role models for you – and for all of us – in this new era.
The first is Queen Esther, from Purim. As the king’s advisor, Haman, spread lies and hatred throughout the kingdom, and set out to annihilate the Jews, Queen Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, told her that she must tell the king, she must speak up, that she has an obligation not to remain silent in the face of impending doom. And even though she was at great risk, she acted with courage and integrity. I hope that as you become an adult, you too with act with courage and integrity.
The second woman doesn’t have a name of her own in the Torah. She’s Lot’s wife, who was warned not to look back as she and her family fled from Sodom and Gommorah as fire and destruction rained down on the cities. The rabbis give her a name – Idit – which means witness. She was a witness to the terrible events all around her. She refused to turn away. It’s true that she was turned into a pillar of salt, maybe a memorial of tears, but she’s a reminder not to turn away. I hope that you will keep your eyes open to the world around you, even if it is painful.
The third is Miriam. Growing up in ancient Egypt she saw great inequality all around her. She knew that liberation was possible, that a better life for so many people could be achieved. She had faith in herself and in the people around her. She became one of our most important leaders, and she was beloved among her people. She was wise, joyful, and persistent. I hope that you will embody the best of Miriam and be a leader in your own right.
As you become a bat mitzvah, may you have the courage and integrity of Queen Esther, the ability to keep your eyes open to the pain around you like Lot’s wife, Idit, and may you be wise, joyful, and persistent like Miriam.
As you become an adult, I hope that this is a time of growth, of stretching yourself, and of becoming a mature, sensitive, and loving human being. I hope that you will be fully present to the challenging and complicated realities of your world. I hope that you will continue to believe in yourself and trust yourself to make good decisions. I hope that you will find friends who will sustain you and help you grow. I hope that you will give of yourself and make our world a little bit kinder and a little bit more just.
May you do this in community, always turning to your family, friends, and teachers. Mazel tov.