Sarah, Rachel, Emma, Jono, Alexa, George. These are not just some names that I made up for the sake of marketing. They are all committed Jewish youngsters from our MetroWest NJ community who recently, individually and with the support of their families, decided to step up and keep the legacy of their people. They were all conducting a Bar/Bat Mitzvah project in Israel and by doing so, brought to life the ultimate combination of the Mitzvot “Tikkun Olam” (repair of the world) and “Klal Yisrael (all Jews are responsible for each other).”

The Torah portions of this and of next week, “Yitro” and “Mishpatim” provide a great opportunity to discuss the concepts of mitzvot, people and of Bar/Bat Mitzvah projects; the children of Israel, not yet a nation or people, just left Egypt and slavery. They were brought to the foot of Mount Sinai and through an impressive pyrotechnical display of “thunder and lightning and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of a horn exceedingly loud” they had a revelation, were given the Torah and became a people. Not just an ordinary one but “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

How can it be that in such a short time this tribe of runaway slaves accepted upon itself a long, demanding sophisticated set of commandments and became the very special people, the amazing nation which we are, keeping its relevance, validity, viability and uniqueness up until now? I would like to suggest that at least part of the answer is hidden in the surprising, even strange reaction of the crowd when the lord presented them with the covenant; “He took the book of the covenant and read it in earshot of the people and they said, everything that god has said we shall do and we shall hear (Shemot 24; 7).” “Na’ase Venishma”, first comes the doing and only later the listening.

Some might say that this upside down order is a result of the fear and excitement of the entire occasion; some might say that this is an adoration of the new god that was just revealed to them, something like saying; “you are the boss, whatever you say.” I choose to join our sages who claim that we Jews, even before we became a nation or religion, are more sophisticated than that. After all we are the champions of study, of intellectual process, always seeking to understand and to find the meaning in everything, before we do it. Therefore saying together, “we shall do and we shall hear” only happens on rare occasions and it is connected to something more in the depth of our system. Something that is concealed in our DNA; something that guides us individually and as a collective to immediately act, to perform a Mitzvah, almost automatically, in certain circumstances as if we can’t help it.

Rabbi Kook compared it to the animal world; “A bee naturally builds the cells of its hive with upmost precision without attending lectures or engineering school. The same way of saying we shall do before we shall hear is Israel’s eternal strength, revealing the holiness of Judaism that is concealed in the natural depth of our own essence. We are motivated by a pure and natural holiness and therefore no instructions, explanations or persuasions are required.”

The revelation of Mount Sinai was one of its kind, something that can not be compared to anything else and yet it includes in it the elements that bring us from time to time to do things before fully understanding them. The feeling that we are standing together there as one community, a Kehilla. The feeling that there is something bigger than us. The feeling that this is a call that we can't refuse. The feeling that we can't waste time on exploring and that we have to act; all of it made us say "we shall do and we shall hear."

When only a couple of weeks ago a disastrous earthquake shook the small, vulnerable and remote country of Haiti, it was this unique Jewish natural call that brought our nation to automatically say “Na’ase Venishma”, “we shall do and we shall hear.” Within 48 hours, before anyone knew exactly what was going on, a full scale Israeli field hospital was built in Haiti and a dedicated team of hundreds of Israeli volunteers provided medical care and rescue to so many poor human beings. We heard a similar line, one way or the other, from all the volunteers that went there, “We didn’t know what to expect, we didn’t have any details but the call for the Mitzvah of saving lives was stronger than us so we just went.” At the same time all the Jewish communities around the world organized to collect money, to send materials and to help out. We were by far the most active and quickest nation to respond in the early stages.

Back to Sarah, Rachel, Emma, Jono, Alexa and George. The projects that they created in Israel as part of their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs are reflections and implementations of the same concept. Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is the time to perform mitzvot and symbolically join the Jewish nation. It is a once in a life time occasion and it involves the entire community. It is a kind of a repetition of the Mount Sinai revelation in a miniature and more intimate way. This is the time for the boys and girls, with their families and with their community, to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, to keep the tradition of the Jewish people, to operate the hidden DNA and to act. Whether it is painting a mathematics lab, collecting school supplies, subsidizing Ethiopian kids in an early childhood class, creating a playground in a community center, taking kids to a special needs performance or providing soccer equipment for needy kids, it was all “Na’aseh Venishma.”

I know that many kids are choosing to conduct Bar/Bat mitzvah projects. It is highly appreciated. I am sure that all of them are fine ideas and have meaningful Mitzvot. However, I would like to suggest that conducting the project in Israel together with Israelis in one of MetroWest’s partnership regions has an additional meaning, an added value to it. It is not just about helping others but it is also about connecting with our own people and our extended family. It is sustainable tangible and visible. It is not just about Tikkun Olam but it is also about Klal Yisrael, about the power of Peoplehood and Israel’s eternal strengths.

And now to the concluding commercial clause for the parents, in case the kids themselves will somehow miss this piece. If you would like your Bar/Bat Mitzvah children to have a meaningful hands on experience. If you would like your family to continue the chain of Jewish commitment through social action. If you would like to connect with Israel and with Israelis. If you would like to take a leadership role in your own community. If you would like to leave your fingerprints where they are mostly needed, then speak with us. We do not have an official menu of projects, but we will tailor a project to fit you, the interests of your children and your family, and connect local needs with those interests. Just bring the Bar/Bat, we will bring the Mitzvah.

Drishat Shalom,