The Voice Celebrates: Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Frantz


JACOB FRANTZ

Jacob Frantz, son of Sonia and Greg Frantz, became a bar mitzvah on Jan. 16. They are members of Temple Beth Sholom, He spoke about the portion of Va’era.

“Let my people go!” This is one of the most familiar phrases from the Torah. God tells Moshe to say it to Pharaoh over and over again as he tries to get the Israelites out of Egypt. “Let my people go!” has become a rallying cry for many oppressed peoples over the course of history. But as I was studying my parashah, I noticed that this phrase is actually misleading. Moshe does repeatedly demand that Pharaoh “Let my people go!”–but there is another Hebrew word that always comes next: vaya’avduni–“so that they may worship me.” So what God is really telling Moshe to say to Pharaoh over and over again is “Let my people go so that they may worship me!” How does including that last word change the meaning of this famous phrase?

I think that this means that after the Jews are freed, they can’t do whatever they want. They have a mission. And that mission is to worship God, receive the Torah, do mitzvot, and go to Israel. And Jews today still need to continue doing those things. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks talks about the difference between freedom from and freedom to. He says: Freedom from, means that you have freedom from oppression–this is the “Let my people go” freedom. Freedom to, means that you have freedom to do something–this is the “Let my people go so that they can worship me” freedom.

I can relate this to me because becoming a Bar Mitzvah and a man means I have responsibilities like doing more Mitzvot. I am not free to do whatever I want, but to continue the Jewish People’s mission. I can start doing mitzvot today by helping BookSmiles. I chose BookSmiles as my project because I love reading and I want other people to have the same opportunities. And the book from which I read today, the Torah, is the holiest book of all.

As a Jewish man, I also need to strictly follow the 10 Commandments. The commandment, “You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy,” is how we should follow the rules of Shabbat. When these rules were written, there were no cars, devices, and electricity. Shabbat was a break from the work, and a day of rest. Nowadays, it is probably more work to walk rather than drive, or use candles rather than lights. I believe that on Shabbat you should try to take a break from devices and all that, but most importantly, you should try to connect with God. Whether that be going to synagogue, doing good deeds, or just spending time with your family. Obviously this is ironic because, right now, we are on Zoom during Shabbat. But you need to weigh the pros and cons, and in my opinion, it is okay to use Zoom if you are using it to attend a bar mitzvah or do something else that helps us connect with God.

I can relate this back to the parsha because on Shabbat you are not free to do whatever you want, but you are free from your usual busy life. This means that you are free to connect with God. I would like to try to follow this commandment better. In the end, it is up to you how you want to follow Shabbat. For me, on Shabbat we can take a break from devices, school, work, and my usual life. Instead, I focus on other things like playing outside and enjoying nature, reading, and spending time with my family. In this way, I recharge my spirit and connect with God. Now that I am a man in the eyes of the Jewish faith, these values are even more important to me, and I will try harder to observe Shabbat in this way.

And finally, I will say my thank-yous. Thank you to Morah Sue and Cantor Cohen for teaching me everything I needed to know. Thank you to Rabbi Peltz for helping me with my D’var Torah. Thank you to my teachers at KBA who made doing my bar mitzvah much easier for me. Thank you to my mom and my dad for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you to my siblings, Raquel, Jordana, and Jonah for always being there for me. Thank you to Grandma Rosie, Grandma Bibi, and Grandpa Steve for loving and supporting me. And finally, thank you to my family and friends for joining me today to celebrate my bar mitzvah.

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