Dad, for the win.

I do not why it took me so long to post this. Jeremy Taylor is a member of my congregation and he wrote this and read it on the bima when his daughter Miriam became a Bat Mitzvah 16 months ago. I asked him to share it with me for the purpose of sharing it hear.

I am not going to offer any commentary. Jeremy's words say it all. Thank you Jeremy. And thanks for volunteering your time (as Miriam does as well) with our Curriculum Working Group.

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I don’t usually cry in public, so I would like some credit for being this good at it.

I didn’t grow up in the Jewish tradition myself, and so I’ve been learning a great deal right along with my kids. One of the things I’ve learned about today that I like very much is that beginning now, Miriam literally counts as an adult.

I am a high school teacher. I have seen that we frequently do harm to our teenagers by trying too hard to protect them. By sheltering them from situations in which they could make big mistakes, we too often prevent them from taking on real responsibilities. Kids are smart, they get that message- we don’t trust you, let me handle that, it’s too important.

But today has the opposite message, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Today, this community put my kid in charge of this service because she’s ready to start being in charge. Sometimes.

And I agree with that. If you know Miriam, it’s hard to disagree. So congratulations, and let’s go learn more stuff.