I, too, was affected by the article “B’nai Mitzvah Growing Pains” (March 6) about the issues of the bar/bat mitzvah process.
I too was struck by the comment: “learning to chant Torah is not so different from learning to milk cows: a challenging ancient skill that seems irrelevant to modern life. Not to mention the fact that it is something most kids rarely, if ever, see their parents do.” And, although a bit of an exaggeration, I think some truth lies within.
What Malka Margolies wrote in her letter to the editor (March 15) has value and speaks to me as well. My own children, like Margolies’, see me layn [read from the Torah]. But many parents can’t do that. I think this is where synagogues can fill the void. The article can allow many synagogue leaders and educators to reflect on what’s being done already and find ways to share and guide families on this incredible journey.
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