This past Lag B’Omer, I received a precious gift. It is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. The people who gave me the gift were unaware of their action, but I will be forever grateful to them.
I had the privilege of attending a bar mitzvah that greatly impacted my life. The gift I received was not something tangible; it was a reaffirmation of my emunas Hashem. I have a wonderful life, thank God, and I thank Hashem for never testing me. But my faith was dormant, as I took my blessings for granted. After experiencing the simcha at this celebration, I know that I will never take those blessings for granted again.
The bar mitzvah boy has health issues that challenge him in many ways. His parents have encouraged him, worked with him, and davened to get him where he is today. They deserve great credit for their efforts. They gave their son a priceless heritage: a solid focus on the important things in life.
His bar mitzvah speech expressed his joy at having the privilege to observe the mitzvah of putting on tefillin. The emunah expressed by this young boy and his zest and zeal to do mitzvos was inspiring. He focused on life’s important things, namely the privilege of doing mitzvos and serving Hashem.
The manifestation of serving Hashem with joy that permeated the simcha served as a wakeup call to the entire community. It reminded us to focus on our goals in life: Do mitzvos, and then, with Hashem’s help, all will fall into place.
