SPIRITUAL LEADER'S MONTHLY MESSAGE

Our Youth. Our Inspiration.
Avrum Rosensweig

Recently, I joined Seth and Bleema (synagogue teachers and youth workers) at a round table with Bar/Bat Mitzvah youth. We discussed their upcoming simcha (celebration) and what it meant to them as Jews and member of the human race.

It was a most enjoyable hour listening and challenging the 20 or so youth who participated. It was because I was given the opportunity to hear first hand what was on the minds of those whom we refer to as 'our future' - young people who will one day be responsible for Habonim and our communities.

I challenged the group with questions such as: would you be born a Jew if you had the choice? Would you have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah if you didn't have to? I wanted to know from them what meaning their Judaism and this momentous occasion gave to them.

Some of the answers included: "yes, I am very proud to be a Jew because we are a strong and courageous people and would absolutely be born a Jew if I was asked." Another 12 year old said, that se loved being Jewish because to him it meant, 'being descent - and always trying to do your best for others. He stated that because of this feeling, he was very excited about his Bar Mitzvah and felt honoured at being given the chance to stand before the community.

The thing that excited me most was the response to my question of: can we bring peace and beauty to the world, as the Torah commands us to do, so that it is the wonderful place it has the potential to be? Can we achieve the loftiest level of existence: shalom (peace) between people and nations?

One after another, the responses were positive. One 12 year old girl said that she believes each one of us must share what we have with others so that we can make other people stronger, and ensure that we are better people. She added that by doing so we break down walls between groups and this is how shalom occurs.

Another Bar Mitzvah replied that there is only so much money that anyone really needs, and the rest should be given to tzedakah (charity). His response was very much in sync with Jewish thought which states that - the giving of tzedakah lead to shalom.

Wisdom is not reserved for the elderly, but in fact lies in the hearts of minds of individuals of all ages. This was my experience that Sunday afternoon sitting in the shul with Habonim youth - each one aggressively vying for the chance to say what was on their mind.

I was inspired. I was because our young people are positive about the potential for harmony in the world and are of generous spirit. I was because their views and opinions were pure and kind.

Sometimes we can't help looking at the world as a harsh place. Habonim was founded by Holocaust survivors, and who would know better about the tribulations of life and the challenges of being a Jew.

Yet, despite the constant barrage of negative headlines, the frequent negativity of leadership and the disheartening reality of the pain and suffering occurring in Israel, Iraq, Sudan, the Congo and on our streets to the homeless - at the end of the day, our young people believe in our ability to change all of this.

In some ways this reflects the story of Purim because just as Mordechai and Esther fought arduously through their inimitable spirits, to save the Jewish people so too are our youth striving to see the deep and rich colours of creation; to actualize our potential and the gift that lies inside each of us; to ultimately make our world a place where neighbors join one another regardless of the colour of their skin, ethnicity or religion.

Our youth are our inspiration. They are important members of our shul and well worth listening to.

Happy Purim, Chag Samayach

» October Article - Habonim: A Gem of a Place. Not to be Missed!
» February Article - Some Insight Into My Life