1	The Bar Mitzvah of Samuel Nicholas Saturday May 25, 2002 14 Sivan 5762
2	Shabbat Service Introduction - Rabbi Natan Segal Welcome Speech - Samuel Lighting the Shabbat Candles - Rhonda May these Lights Shabbat Songs Wrapping in the Tallit Shehecheyanu About Prayer - Samuel Who is Wise - Rabbi Nachman Poem Henay MaTovu Responsive Readings Shema Thou shalt Love (Vy’ahav’ta) Quiet Meditation Thus the Seer 1st Aliyah - Mark and Rhonda 2nd Aliyah - Muriel / Richard Colin 3rd Aliyah - Max and Michelle Jasny Torah Reading - Samuel Torah Portion Commentary - Samuel Presentation of Certificate - Rabbi Natan Segal Blessings by Family and Friends Mourner’s Kaddish Blessing over wine and bread Dancing - Rabbi Arella Bar Lev Food and Music
3	Introduction - Rabbi Natan Segal Welcome Speech - What is Shabbat Samuel
4	Welcome Speech Hello, and welcome to my Bar Mitzvah. Thank you all for coming, especially those who traveled a long distance to get here. I heard the Rabbi almost didn’t make it here, he was in the airport and he started to sing “Bim BOMB” which is not something tosing loudly in an airport. I also want to thank Rabbi Arella Bar Lev, for coming today to lead the dancing. I’ve never met Rabbi Bar Lev before, so welcome. I want to thank my parents for helping me get ready for my Bar Mitzvah, I’d like to thank my father for helping me learn to read Hebrew, I’d like to thank my mother for encouraging me and supporting me. I’d like to thank my brother for driving me places, and my sisters for babysitting me when I was little. Today is the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the day of rest. The day you do not work. The day where you sleep a lot and eat a lot and light candles. The Sabbath started last night at sunset and will end tonight at sunset. Who here likes to work? Raise your hands. Well I’m sorry but you don’t get to work today. Who here likes to rest? Raise your hands. Everybody gets to rest today. Who here likes to sing songs and pray? Well, whether you do or not, you get to today. The Sabbath is the weekend. Without the weekend, I’d still be at school. My dad and mom would still be at work. David would be who knows where. So Thank God for the Sabbath. In Hebrew the Sabbath is Shabbat, or Shabbas depending on your accent. The Sabbath is a time to feel peace. The Sabbath is a time to give thanks. To stop and notice things that we are too busy to see during the work week. Things like nature. Things like our friends and family. And stuff like that. I’d like to show some pictures to explain what I mean. Things I am thankful for. I’d like to invite my mother, Rhonda to come up now and light the Sabbath candles and lead us in the blessing over the lights.
5	Blessing over the Sabbath Lights Rhonda
6	Shabbat Songs
7	Wrapping in the Tallit
8
9	About Prayer Sam
10	"WHAT IS PRAYER?" WHAT IS PRAYER? I wanted to talk about what is prayer. I saw a newspaper article in the press democrat that was called, “Prayer is Fundamental to Human Existence”. I thought I would share with you some of the thoughts in this article. The article said that, “At the place where the world’s three great religions meet, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, an out-of-control war threatens. Its causing a lot of people to start praying”. Things are looking so hopeless in Israel that its like the bumper sticker says “when all else fails try praying”. We cannot not call on God. The writer said that in his church there was a candle that had stayed lit since last year to remind people to pray for peace. I have heard of Hannukah candles burning for eight days and eight nights but never heard of a candle burning for a year. I wonder how big that candle is? One candle many prayers. The writer said that with everybody praying you want to stop and ask what is prayer. He called prayer a cry from the human heart, the aspiration of the human soul, mysterious and glorious communion with God. Prayer is not trying to get something, but about discovering. Prayer is the ultimate expression of trust in The One who rules all creation. Trust is what we need as we face threats, known and unknown. Trust is believing that a greater power with a loving heart will see us through and that there is light in darkness. So I told you what was in the article but what do I think of prayer? I think prayer can be like having good manners. When you want something you say please. Please God let there be peace. When you get something you say thank you. What a beautiful day, thank you God. Anyone who knows Rabbi Natan knows that he likes to say Thank God. He can’t say more than 4 or 5 sentences without saying Thank God. So I say Thank God for Rabbi Natan. In the Jewish religion there is also a tradition of arguing with God. That might not be considered good manors but it is another way to pray. When God told Abraham that God was going to destroy the two cities of Sodom and Gommorah, Abraham said let me find one good person in the city and if I do then don’t destroy it. Abraham didn’t succeed but he tried. The word Israel means wrestling with God. It doesn’t mean fighting with God instead it means making an effort to change things for the better.
11	"Then there is the kind..." Then there is the kind of prayer when you don’t say anything. That’s called meditation. You’re not asking for anything, you’re not saying anything, you’re just being quiet and breathing. When we breath it’s not something we do its more like something that happens inside us. It’s like God is breathing. It’s just being quiet and listening. Like it says in the Shema, hear o Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is one. If we want to hear we have to stop and listen. And prayer can also be doing what you love to do. Singing and dancing, playing music. Even playing basketball can be praying if you do it because you love to do it.
12	Rabbi Nachman of Breslov Who is wise? He who learns from everyone Who is rich? She who is content with what she has Who is honored? He who honors his fellow man
13	"It isn’t so important," It isn’t so important, it isn’t even odd, that we should know so many things about the ways of God One thing that matters most of all I’m very certain of, that God told people they must live in brotherhood and love
14	Song Henay MaTovu
15	Responsive Reading
16	Responsive Reading - Yotzer (Creator)
17	Shema
18
19	Quiet Meditation
20	Thus the Seer Thus the seer with vision clear sees forms appear and disappear in the perpetual round of strange mysterious change ... from Birth to Death and Death to Birth from Earth to heaven and heaven to earth til glimpses more sublime of things unseen before unto his wondering eyes reveals the universe as an immeasurable wheel turning forevermore in the rapid and rushing river of time. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
21	Blessings over the Torah
22	Torah Reading
23	Speech: Who am I
24	Who is this guy, anyway? Hello. (Smile and Look at people for a long time. See people smiling back at you. Slow down and Relax) You’ve probably been wondering “Who is this San person, anyway?” So I thought I’d fill you in on some personal details. My name is Samuel “Danger” Nicholas . I was born on Dec. 16^th 1988 at 10:24 in the morning in my parent’s bedroom about 4 blocsk from here. . Since then my life has been mad cow. My first memory was when I first walked. It was just like this… meanwhile, David was running through the house in his underwear bouncing off the walls yelling. “Look at me Look at me!” I’ve always been a tough cookie. I remember in preschool I was the rebel. no underwear for me. I thought I’d treat you to a little Sam Hip Hop, who is Sam in Song Titles: I am Sam. Sam I am. I am the leader of the pack, I am, the lord of the rings, a wild thing, I am iron man. Love is what I got. I wanna rock. Life is not a mission impossible. Do I smell like teen sprit? I want candy. lets come together and eat chop suey . All you need is love. One love. Give peace a chance. OK enough about me, let’s talk about my Torah Portion.
25	Torah Portion Commentary Speech
26	"Torah Portion pg 1" Torah Portion pg 1
27	"The rest of the Vy’ahav’ta..." The rest of the Vy’ahav’ta speaks for itself. It says to teach your children diligently, that means that you teach your children, like my Dad taught me. Children can also be students, it doesn’t have to be just your own children. Anyone you meet you can share with them what you know and what you’ve learned about loving God and living in a good way. Sitting down, walking by the way, lying down and rising up. That pretty much covers everything. I wrote this speech lying on the couch. I practiced saying the Vy’ahav’ta while I was taking a shower. While I was riding in the car. It means to pray everyday, everywhere. Not just in temple, but wherever you go. It says to bind them for a sign upon thy hands and between thy eyes. That’s kind of tricky. What could that mean. Orthodox Jews take this prayer and put it in a leather box, called “tefillin” which they put on their arms and on their forehead. For me it means that what I do with my hands and eyes is to do God’s work. I like to play the guitar, I like to use my eyes when I shoot a basketball or edit video, when I do those things I can remember God. It says to write them on the doorposts of my house and my t our house we have a “mezzuzah” which is a box on our doorpost. Inside that box is this prayer. What’s so special about our gates and our doors? This is how we come into our house, so we want to have God come into our house and our lives.
28	Blessings and Presentation of Bar Mitzvah Certificate Rabbi Natan Segal
29	Mourner’s Kaddish: We remember We remember beloved family members who have passed on, who are no longer here in body, but who live on in spirit, in our memories and in our hearts. May Menaker Meyer Menaker George Lena Sidney Lynn Rosenblum Naomi Mason Tom Mason Dorothy Styer Laurel Styer
30	Mourner’s Kaddish
31	Blessings over Wine
32	Blessings over Bread
33	Dancing led by Rabbi Arella Bar Lev Lunch Music The Artifacts Special Musical performance by Sam and Friends
34	Illustration Credits Cover - Rabbis with the Torah Mane-Katz 1935 Artists Rights Society Page 2 - Alefbet Lexicon Grisha Bruskin 1989 VAGA, NY. Page 4 - Trina Schart Hyman from Let’s Steal the Moon Page 5- Trina Schart Hyman from Let’s Steal the Moon Page 6 - Trina Schart Hyman from Let’s Steal the Moon Page 7 - Spiral of Life - David Sharir 1986 Pucker Gallery, Boston. Page 8 - Alefbet Lexicon Grisha Bruskin 1989 VAGA, NY. Page 10 - from Pictorial History of the Jewish People Page 11 - from Pictorial History of the Jewish People Page 12 -K Felsenhardt 1893 Poland Page 13 - Photograph Rhonda 1989 Page 14- Trina Schart Hyman from Let’s Steal the Moon Page 15 - Trina Schart Hyman from Let’s Steal the Moon Page 16 -Silent Prayer - Reuven Rubin 1942 Tel Aviv Page 17 - Message - Grisha Bruskin 1989 VAGA, NY. Page18 - Trina Schart Hyman from Let’s Steal the Moon Page 20 - Photo Collage Sam (sketch - David ) Page 21 - Photo illustration - Mark Page 22 - Antique Musical Instruments and their Players, Dover books Page 25 - M.C. Escher Page 27. The Jewish Marriage Ilex Bellers from “The Jewish Spirit”, edited by Ellen Frankel, publisher Stewart, Tabori and Chang. All illustrations used without permission, please do not reproduce for commercial purposes.