Happy New Year … not really, but in the Torah, this
month was considered the first month – the New Year. And today is the
first day of that first month. Not only that, but this month is called
the month of Aviv (which means spring)– and my Hebrew name is Aviva – so I have
a special connection to this new month right there.
But there’s another special connection. Rosh Chodesh,
the celebration of the new month, is considered a woman’s holiday. And
today I am a woman!
Even my portion is connected to women, though not in the
most pleasant way. It talks about childbirth, which was, in the old days,
seen as a very mysterious thing – I guess it still is. On some level it’s
about what makes women so special and so important.
So I would like to take a few moments to talk about some
important female role models for me, that is, aside from my mom and
grandmothers, of course, who are very important.
With
Passover coming up, there’s Miriam, who was Moses’s sister. A couple of
years ago, I wrote a script about the exodus for our Seder and I played the
role of Miriam. Malkam was Moses and Oliver was Pharaoh. That
sounds about right. Miriam was a great musician – and I like music too,
and she cared about her brothers, Aaron and Moses – and so do I!
In school last month, I did a report on Maya
Angelou, the great poet who died not long ago. She survived racial
discrimination, single motherhood, and despite that, she was able to become a
successful artist and activist. In fact, she was the first female African
American to write a bestseller and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom.
Last
fall, I heard a speech given here by Anat Hoffman, a crusader for equal
rights for women (and others) in Israel. She was behind the recent
agreement for a new section at the Western Wall where women and men can pray
together, as equals. I really hope she gets those benches she wanted!
My next role model isn’t a woman yet. Aine just
turned ten and she’s here today because, her family is basically my family. I
think she is a role model because, she lives her life with cystic fibrosis. She
takes a lot of medication, everyday. She has to wake up earlier than her 8th
grade sister, to do treatments and then, have even more treatments in the
evening. She is more in touch with her health than other children her age,
which shows how mature she has become. If you met her and, some of you already
have, you can’t tell. She is always smiling and participates in more sports
than I do. Cystic Fibrosis affects a tiny amount of the population, and because
of this, research and treatment options are funded by the families and friends
directly impacted. Help me in finding a cure by, following the link in my
booklet to the Aine’s Angels website and donating money to the fundraising
walk. I will be walking and you are welcome to join me. It is Sunday, May 22, and there’s more info on the website.
My final female role model is… me! At
Oliver’s bar mitzvah he spoke about how he couldn’t be President because he was
born in Canada. But I was born here! I was even named right here on
this bima! So I could be president. And while this year we
are seeing what could be the first female president, Hillary or the first
Jewish president, Bernie or the first Canadian president, Ted. I could be
the first-ever female Jewish President - - with Canadian roots!
But I
have no desire to be president. I just want to be an actress. Or a
singer. Or a director...Really I just wanna be in show business. You might have
thought that I would pick a character I’ve played but, Wednesday Addams and
Captain Hook aren’t the best role models.
As I
become a woman, on this holiday for women, I know I am walking in the footsteps
of not only the women before me, but I also hope to be a role model to those
who will come after me. But as I pay tribute to all these women, I can’t forget
the most important woman in my life, my mom, who by the way also became bat
mitzvah right here. She had to put up with my yelling about practicing but,
nevertheless she stood by me, encouraging me, helping me, supporting me. I LOVE
YOU MOM! Dad, you’re OK too…
No comments:
Post a Comment