Yesterday Martin was called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. Our hearts are full. Today I am reflecting on the lines from Exodus that inspired the title of this blog: Moses said to the Lord, “I beseech You, O Lord. I am not a man of words, neither from yesterday, nor from the time You…

Martin’s Bar Mitzvah day is almost here. After months of weekly practice sessions and years of planning and going back to the drawing board and planning some more, we are just about ready to achieve a goal we once thought we wouldn’t even try to achieve.  It’s hard now to remember the days when Martin…

It’s funny how a thing takes on a life of its own. You may begin a project with one idea in mind, and then something else—something unexpected and better—happens instead. Last month an infographic made its way around social media as part of a disability awareness campaign. Four images (shown above) reflect the differences between…

When special education teachers work with Martin, they adapt curriculums to help him meet his educational goals. We are trying to take a similar approach to helping Martin fully participate in his Bar Mitzvah service. Jeff and I are not specialists in autism education, but over the years we’ve worked with many speech, occupational, and…

This past month I took Martin to our synagogue’s first All-Religious-School Shabbat service, a family-friendly Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat with songs and class presentations that featured interactive percussion performances. The atmosphere was warm and casual, and the Sufrin sanctuary was nearly full when we arrived more than a few minutes late. I scanned the room,…

This month the Steam Team’s meeting was a Chanukah Extravaganza! In addition to working together to help Martin with his Bar Mitzvah preparation, the Steam Team friends lit the menorah, played with trains (of course!), and topped off the session by making sufganiot with Morah Carole.  Step 1 when making sufganiot? Flour your hands! You can…

Kids who are preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvahs typically schedule weekly meetings with the rabbi. During these half-hour sessions, the rabbi helps each student compose a D’var Torah (or sermon)—this may be a young person’s first experience closely interpreting a biblical text and discussing it with a teacher. As the child’s Bar or…

As part of our Bar Mitzvah preparation plan, we have scheduled Martin to attend a number of Shabbat morning services over the coming months and to participate in some small way during the service. We haven’t planned out exactly what he will do each time, although an official name for these Saturday morning practice sessions…

The Zayin class “Steam Team” had a great first session this week! Our 7th graders are making a real difference as they support their classmate Martin and help him prepare for his Bar Mitzvah.  The Steam Team helps Martin learn parts of the Shabbat service, but they also have fun together hanging out, playing with…

Moses said to the Lord, “I beseech You, O Lord. I am not a man of words, neither from yesterday nor from the day before yesterday, nor from the time You have spoken to Your servant, for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue.”     Exodus 4:10 When Martin was 2 years…