First Things First

We are taking it easy. We're not trying to do everything in one week but we did manage a couple of good sights this week.

When in Israel what things would you do first?

I think one of the most important would be to go to the Old City and visit the Western Wall, so that is what we did.

Then of course, you should ride a camel. This was actually my first time riding a camel too!

Evening walks and watching the sun go down was one of Sarah's and my favorite activities in Musoma, so we've also tried to do a little of that as well.

Bar Mitzvah at the Wall

I got to attend a Bar Mitzvah today... at the Western Wall. I've visited the Western Wall a number of times but today was the first time I went there not as a tourist. I went there today to watch a 13 year-old boy read from the Torah.

This is a long-standing Jewish tradition, the Bar Mitzvah. At 13 a boy becomes a man and he does this by reading from the Torah in front of family and friends. At 13 he becomes responsible for his relationship with God and for his religious life.

This is the first Bar Mitzvah that I've attended. At least two other boys were having their Bar Mitzvah during the same time, reading from the Torah on the men's side of the Western Wall while the women stood on chairs peeking over the fence to watch.

I'm not one for pageantry and tradition for tradition's sake (and a lot of things seem like tradition for tradition's sake) but I'll admit to being moved by the ceremony. It isn't just a ceremony though. Hours and hours of practice goes into a Bar Mitzvah. The young boy is given more responsibility leading up to it. He must study. He must practice singing a portion of the Torah. He must have maturity and boldness to sing and continue singing when his voice cracks. It isn't the ceremony itself, it is all the hours of preparation, it is the focus and understanding that this 13 year-old boy demonstrates. I was surprised to realize that I truly felt like I watched a boy step across an invisible line and become a man.