blogs/rabbi-huberman

Fifty-four years ago this weekend, my relatives and friends gathered in Montreal on Labor Day weekend to celebrate my bar mitzvah.

If you’re counting, that’s three times chai — three times life. But then again, every day is a celebration.

During the past week, I’ve been thinking a lot about life and about who I was at age 13. I surely was not a man; I was awkward and a bit lost, stuck somewhere between my traditional Jewish upbringing and an exciting vision of what the world was becoming.

On that morning in 1966, I was paraded in front of the community. I recited words without knowing what they meant. 

I was there to make a statement that my future and that of generations to come would be forever tethered to Jewish practice and tradition.

But as the years unfolded, I found that promise fading.

One of my rabbinical-school teachers, Dr. Jerome Chanes, once noted that when the Jews of Russia and Poland immigrated to North America from 1880 to 1920, one segment of the population remained behind — the rabbinical community.

Senior rabbis cautioned other rabbis not to emigrate because, in particular, the United States was considered the “Traife Medinah,” loosely translated — the “unkosher wild west.”

Only after World War II, with rabbinical seminaries decimated by the Nazis, did a significant percentage of rabbis begin to settle in the United States and Canada.

And now, when I think of it, Dr. Chanes' perspective explains a lot.

Growing up, I can never remember my family quoting a rabbi to answer any of our questions. Rather, we were told, “This is what your Zaidie, or my Zaidie taught.”

Growing up, how many of us asked, “Why do we do this?” The answer was often, “Just do it.” or “This is the tradition.” But while the strength and guidance of our ancestors helped shape our Jewish identities, in many cases, the “whys” were left behind.

This is, perhaps, one reason why I decided — at age 50 — to enter rabbinical school. I wanted to know “why” and share that with others. I had faith that there was wisdom and holiness behind all the laws and traditions.

And, I was right.

It is why each year at this time, I tend to think about those early days — strong in duty and structure, but often lacking in spirituality and understanding. 

Indeed, it took me 50 years to actually go back and re-read the section of the Bible I recited on my bar mitzvah — to actually understand what I was saying.

And while reading through my Haftorah, I was drawn to the prophetic message attributed to Isaiah thousands of years ago.

It supports the belief that Brit Ha’Olam, the covenant between God and the Jewish people, from creation to the end of time would — and will continue — to sustain our people.

I don’t recall recently reading any news reports regarding the Assyrians, Babylonians, Amalekites, Midianites, Philistines, Persians or Romans. They are gone, but we are still here.

At any point, our small and vulnerable people could have been crushed under the force of these mighty and brutal nations.

But we survived — with one divine promise that ends my bar mitzvah Haftorah: “B’Itah Achishenah.” Roughly translated: “God will speed up everything in its time.”

Think about that. Not only does this prophecy speak about us as a people — but it also addresses each of us, individually.

How many times in our lives have our plans for success or happiness come to an abrupt halt? How many times have we been stuck in neutral, or worse? How many times have we faced a setback, only to wonder whether we will ever come out the other end?

The idea of God hastening the future “in its time” is a challenging one. On one hand, it reminds us to be patient. Yet, if we sit back and let God decide our fate, how do we incorporate the idea of free will?

The answer is twofold: During the 54 years since my bar mitzvah, I’ve come to understand that so much of what we endure prepares us for a richer and more learned future.

God has a game plan for each of us — but each of us must get into the game. Indeed, we can bring the future closer, by playing our part to become better.

With Rosh Hashanah approaching in two weeks, this is, perhaps, a time to begin considering how we can become better. How much of our time do we waste in pursuit of pleasure? Or — as has too often been the case during the past few months — how much time do we spend “killing time?”

The idea of God hastening everything in its time, requires us to be patient, and to have faith in the future. It also reminds us that we have a role to play in achieving our own happiness.

It’s a message I’ve been embracing with more confidence during the last few years — since I took the trouble to actually read what I recited on that day in 1966.

God will speed up everything in its time. That ranges from embracing our life purpose to finding our true soulmate, or changing to a more fulfilling job, or raising children and grandchildren — or even becoming a rabbi.

Did I envision that 54 years ago when I chanted words that I barely understood? Did any of us in our teens?

Yet on this, the anniversary of that day, I have come to appreciate the blessing of those few words, which concluded my Haftorah reading.

I have come to understand that each of us has a destiny, and every day, God provides us with the opportunity to accomplish what we are meant to do.

Tomorrow, during Shabbat services, I will recite Isaiah’s words perhaps with a bit more conviction than I did back then.

I will affirm, quoting Isaiah, that while sometimes we may feel awkward, powerless and even small, that one day “the smallest shall become a thousand and the least a mighty nation.”

That goes for the Jewish people, for the State of Israel — and for you and me.

For as God shares this week — in the words of Isaiah — B’Itah Achishenah.

“I am the Lord. And I will speed it — in its due time.”

Shabbat Shalom, v’kol tuv.

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

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