Milo Katz - Dvar Torah

Good morning Rabbi, family, friends, and everyone who came for the food. Today I become a Bar Mitzvah which means I've officially entered adulthood and become responsible for my own actions so basically I can't blame everything on my parents anymore. Turning 13 in Judaism isn't suddenly knowing everything. Today my speech will be about the ten commandments which are in my portion Yitro found in the second book of the Torah which is Shemot. But instead of the ten commandments from the Torah. It's going to be about the ten commandments that you all here have helped shape. You are here because you mean something to me, you along with Rabbi Greg, Mm mom and my dad have given me the basic tools by which I hope to live by and become an adult with integrity and decency.The Ten Commandments are important because they helped guide Moses and the Jewish people. My ten commandments will do the same thing by guiding me to become a decent humanbeing with morals and values. My first commandment is too be honest but not too honest it hurts someone's feelings. I believe being honest is the right thing to do in order to build trust and development but sometimes it's not what you say it's how you say it. My Second commandment is that it's okay to make mistakes, the trick is learning how to fail.When I was much smaller I used to be very anxious and tried to be a perfectionist but I've learned from my parents that mistakes are okay and a part of life. My third commandment is to be respectful and fair because everyone is different, out of 8 billion people not a single one is alike and just because you look different or grew up in different circumstances doesn't mean you are less or that you are more valuable than the other person. My fourth commandment is to always continue growing whether it be in table tennis, debating, academics, or just general life. I always want to improve and be a better version of myself. My fifth commandment is to always forgive. For me no matter what you've done to me or anyone I've loved I will always find it in my heart to forgive it may take time but life isn't about being mad at people it's about living it to the fullest. My sixth commandment is to try to be peaceful as I step into adult life I've decided I want to have peace with myself and others. My seventh commandment is how to be peaceful because it's very well said that you want to be peaceful but how do you do it. Finding peace for me is by being calm, taking care of myself, and accepting the present rather than focusing on the past or the future. My eighth commandment is to never do anything that is I wouldn’t share with my family. My Mom always said she would never do anything that she wouldn't be proud enough to tell me or my brother when she kissed us goodnight . My ninth commandment is to always be grateful. We've been ungrateful at some point in our lives whether it's been to each other or someone else. Imagine how it would feel to put hours and hours into a gift and the person doesn't say thank you or anything remotely nice- that can reallywreck someone….break their spirit and I would never want to make someone feel that way. Now my last commandment is to always be optimistic and to always believe I can do this, I can win so if you take anything away from listening to me - take the power to always believe. Finally- I would to quote from Martin Luther King “Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.” Thank you all for helping to shape me into the man I want to become.

Shabbat shalom.