Codey Meyers - Dvar Torah

Shabbat shalom Rabbi Malcom  family and friends and guests and thank you for coming to celebrate my special day with me. My Parashat is ki Tissa which talks about when Moshe is still on Mount Sinai after receiving the ten commandments from G-d. While Moshe is away the Jewish people face many challenges, make mistakes and struggle with responsibility.  This parashah mentions many issues that relate to today's world.

As I become Bar Mitzvah, I am learning that responsibility means more than following rules.  It means appreciating my family, being a good friend, and using my abilities to contribute positively to the people around me. Which is why I chose to do my Barmitvah project, to help the IY Township in Hout Bay.  I wanted to make a difference to the lives of this community and use this Mitzvah to help, as everyone matters, everyone belongs, and that a strong community, like a strong team, is built on respect, balance and caring for one another.  Everyone matters regardless of wealth or status.

Which brings me to the point of equality in my paresha.  Hashem commands Moses to count the Israelites over the age of twenty and to instruct them to donate half a shekel to be used for maintaining the Mishkan. 

Everyone had to give half a shekel, however Moshe did not count them directly, but through different methods like counting people's fingers or toes and then dividing it by ten because Moshe thought that it would suggest ownership over the people. Everyone had to donate half a shekel whether you were rich or poor, what  Hashem is saying is that no matter who you are, we are all in the image of G-d whether you are poor or rich, female or male, famous or not, we are all important and have the same value, no one can buy more importance or holiness than someone else - each life matters.

I can relate this to today's world.  Sometimes people believe their beliefs to be greater than others and try to force them on to other religions.  This is wrong and Judaism teaches us respect and that you can choose who you want to be, however there is nothing wrong with having an opinion of your own,  but to think it to yourself that your religion is greater than another, but keep it to yourself and not try to enforce it on other people. 

To me this shows that Judaism isn’t about forcing belief or ranking people, but respect and equality amongst each other.  So just be you and always remember everyone is important no matter who or what you are.  We are made in the image of G-d. 

Another lesson in my Parasha is, earning merit. The way I would describe earning merit is that we are given our own set of skills in life but it is our decision whether we use them for good or bad. As I become a Barmitvah,  I realise that responsibility means knowing how to use my abilities with others to achieve a desired outcome.

For example when Moshe led the Jewish people out of Egypt,  Hashem bestowed the skills to be a leader and he was chosen for the task to help the Jewish people because Hashem saw kindness in him and after the suffering the Jewish people endured,  they needed someone like Moshe who knew how to use his skills and leadership qualities to lead them in the right direction.

How I could relate  this to modern day is through football, as many of you know  football is a  team game and one of my passions.  Each player has their assigned position and each player has their role and plays their part in the teams success and the teams downfall.  Even if you are good at something, you can’t build anything important alone, whether it's the Mishkan or winning a match.

G-d chose Bezalel to help build the Mishkan, the sacred space where G-d’s presence would dwell among the people.  Bezalel was not chosen because he was a priest or a leader, or more important than Moshe, but because he had skill, creativity, and the ability to work with others.  The Torah teaches that talents are not random - they are gifts, meant to be used for something meaningful.  This shows that Judaism values creativity, effort and teamwork, not just status or power.

Which brings me to a question I asked Rabbi Malcolm, why was I expected to write a longer d’var Torah than someone I recently heard, he explained that people have different skills and abilities and that the expectations are not the same for everyone.  This helped me understand my parashah in a deeper way.  Just like Bezalel was chosen for a specific role because of his talents, people are sometimes asked to do more not because they are more important, but because they are capable.  Equality does not mean everyone does the same thing, it means everyone is valued.

Responsibility is something new when you become a Bar Mitzvah and it's about growing up and learning how to survive just as birds have to learn how to fly.

My parashah teaches that everyone matters, everyone has something to contribute and that true strength comes from balance, humility and teamwork and with the guidance of my Dad, Mom, family, friends, community, I know I have strong hands guiding me.

I might only be 13 years old, but from the pillars of guidance in my life, I know I will succeed.   If I just use the opportunities that are given to me for good and knowing that there is a thin line between good and bad and that it is so easy to succumb to evil, but with the support I have by my side I know they will always give me the strength to always choose good and to be the good that I want to see in the world.

Talent is a gift, but effort and teamwork make it meaningful, and there will be times we will be asked to do more but not because we are more important but because we are capable, equality does not mean everyone does the same thing, but it means that everyone is valued.  So let's all use our skills to build a better home, community and world.

Thank you for being present here with me and my family at this very special time in my life.