JDCC's Annual Rosh Hashana Services
Guest Speaker Joshua Ari Soudakoff
 

Shanah Tovah! I am happy to be here and I am also happy that you are here to celebrate the holidays with us.

Today is Rosh HaShanah. It is the anniversary of the creation of people. It is a beginning for mankind. It is also a beginning for me. I now am able to be involved in the community and Jewish rituals and traditions. I am able do these things because I became a Bar Mitzvah this past summer.

It was a turning point in my life. It was also a culmination of several years of study. I began studying for my Bar Mitzvah when I turned eleven. I first began by studying Hebrew, learning letter by letter. One year before my Bar Mitzvah, I received my Torah portion. I started to study that. My Hebrew tutor and I practiced it with vowels and without vowels (Note: the main Hebrew letters are constants. The dots and dashes below and above it are the vowels. The vowels only appear in children's books, books for learning Hebrew, and in prayer books. Hebrew is written without constants in daily life in Israel, the Torah, and other things.).

During that time, I discovered that I would have had to read the Torah (written without vowels) and add the vowels in the appropriate places. During my study with my Torah portion, I learned meanings of many words. I also learned different interpretations of my Torah portion. Many rabbinic authorities have written about it -- Rashi, Hillel, Sforno. Their interpretations have a large influence in the way we think.

After all that, we packed up and flew to Israel, where I would have my Bar Mitzvah. The night before my Bar Mitzvah, I sat down with my grandfather one last time. He was very impressed with me (He had informed me previously that he had asked one of his cousin to read a large portion of my Torah portion, while I would only have to read a little part in order to fulfill the commandments. After our reading, he called his cousin to tell him never mind because I would read it all.).

On the day of my Bar Mitzvah, June Twenty-Fourth of 2004, I was up with the sun. My Bar Mitzvah took place at the Western Wall (The Kotel). During the Bar Mitzvah, I used my tefillin, because it was a tradition there.

It was amazing to see that day here now. Like everybody else becoming a Bar Mitzvah, I felt relieved. We went to my hotel for a reception and celebrated there. My family and friends came. I gave my speech there.

I went sightseeing in Israel. I went to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa. I learned many Jewish and Israeli traditions. After Israel, my family and I went to Europe. In nearly each

country we visited, we found Jewish aspects there. In Roma (Rome), we visited a one hundred year old synagogue. I also learned how Haftorah began. In Roma, we also saw the only proof that the Holy Menorah of the Second Temple of Jerusalem existed. There was a carving of the menorah on an ancient arch there. We also visited two other synagogues in Firenze (Florence) and Venezia (Venice).

In Amsterdam, Holland, we visited the Anne Frank House and a synagogue. We also had lunch in the Jewish area of Amsterdam.

In London, England, we visited the JDA (Jewish Deaf Association). They own their own building. We are fortunate to have this services today as the organization in London needs to invite foreigners to lead their services, and sometimes they don't even have services at all.

On the High Holidays, we say I'Shanah Tovah. It means 'to a good year.' We say this because Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year. Rosh in Hebrew means head, or beginning. HaShanah means 'the year.' All together, it means 'head of the year' or'beginning of the year.' Rosh HaShanah always occurs on the same day every year (No, I'm not talking about the regular calendar. I'm talking about the Jewish Calendar). It always occurs on the first of Tishrei. The ten days following the first of Tishrei are called the Ten Days of Awe. It is a time period for us to think about what we have done the past year and think about our relationship with other people and G-d.

Let me leave you with a question to think about. If you only had one thing in the world to have repentance for, what would it be?

L'Shanah Tovah Tikatavu... may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year,

 

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