Becoming Zoe
written and illustrated by Zoe, age 13
I.
ABOUT 1.5 YEARS BEFORE MY BAT MITZVAH
This is what happened when I was almost twelve:
However, we were not part of a congregation. I wanted to have a Bat Mitzvah because I felt connected to Judaism. My mom said I could have a Bat Mitzvah, and she began looking for someone to tutor me and someplace to have the Bat Mitzvah. We started working to make my Bat Mitzvah special.
II.
A MONTH OR TWO BEFORE MY BAT MITZVAH
A month or two before my Bat Mitzvah, I started writing my D’var Torah, or speech. My parshat was called P’kudei, and it was the last portion in the book of Exodus. That portion was about the building and finishing of the mishkan or tabernacle. Something I picked up in the portion was the determination of how Moses and the Israelites kept going, and they completed the building of the mishkan. I felt that determination was a big part about that portion, so I decided to write about that. I struggled with it. It was hard to figure out what I wanted to say.
III.
TWO WEEKS BEFORE MY BAT MITZVAH
Two weeks before my Bat Mitzvah, we had a rehearsal in the Sanctuary where we would be having the actual Bat Mitzvah. We had our service leader, our song leader, and an audio person. Everything was pretty much exactly how we wanted it, and we had everything planned out. We had also borrowed a Torah that we were going to take home and bring back to my Bat Mitzvah. We came home from the rehearsal feeling very happy that everything was known and done. But we were wondering about something. Would this something prevent my Bat Mitzvah from happening?
IV.
TEN DAYS BEFORE MY BAT MITZVAH
The Bat Mitzvah was SO close... but guess what happened? The COVID-19 came to our area, and everyone was asked not to hold in-person gatherings. My mom told me it really was not possible to have an in-person Bat Mitzvah. We would have to do it over Zoom. I was very upset and sad, but deep down, I knew it was right and it was what we had to do.
V.
SEVEN DAYS BEFORE MY BAT MITZVAH
A week before my Bat Mitzvah, we held a Zoom rehearsal where we practiced the Torah Service for the people having aliyot (honors) and the people reading from the Torah, and also so we could practice using Zoom. Miraculously, we had the Torah that we had planned to borrow for two weeks already at our house, so I could still read from it. We got better and better with Zoom, too.
VI.
ONE DAY BEFORE MY BAT MITZVAH
The day before my Bat Mitzvah, my family rehearsed in the morning for 3 hours to get things running more and more smoothly. We all felt pretty ready and were excited to finally HAVE the Bat Mitzvah after so long.
VI.
THE DAY OF MY BAT MITZVAH
We woke up the day of my Bat Mitzvah and we were all very relieved to be healthy. We got things going and started my Zoom Bat Mitzvah. First, we sang Hinei Mah Tov with a recording made by our song leader. We kept singing prayer after prayer, and we eventually reached my Torah readings.
Then, I sang my Haftarah about King Solomon and Israelites building a temple for God to dwell. Finally, it was time for my D’var Torah, or speech.
I spoke my D’var Torah looking at the screen, feeling very confident and happy. Then people gave me good wishes and sweet words. It was all very meaningful. I felt totally like I had had a real Bat Mitzvah, and I felt very happy that it was done, and we did not have to worry more about the COVID-19.
Zoe is a member of PJ Our Way’s National Advisory Committee.