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When we meet with B’nei Mitzvah families for their very first orientation appointment, we cover a number of components that make up the B’nei Mitzvah experience. While it is obvious to most that the kids will need to learn how to lead their congregation in prayer and learn to chant and teach a section of Torah, that only represents how we “do Jewish” inside the temple. However, how we “do Jewish” outside the building is encompassed in a mitzvah project. Ultimately, whether or not they remember any of the Torah chanting is not nearly as important as how they are and do Jewish things out in the world. By engaging in the doing of mitzvot, our kids learn how Judaism can really impact their lives and the world around them. We hope that by doing these types of projects they learn to see the world with Jewish eyes.

I am reminded of when my daughter Hannah was about 4 years old and had watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time. She was busy retelling her account of the movie to a friend when I heard her say, “At the end, the scarecrow gets a Torah and the tin man gets a heart clock.” I thought, what does she mean by a Torah, until I remembered that the scarecrow receives a diploma which was unrolled a lot like the unrolling of a Torah. I was struck that at 4, Hannah was seeing the world through Jewish eyes.

One of the options we give our B’nei Mitzvah kids is to see their family’s travel through Jewish eyes. If their family is going on a trip, we invite them to find the Jewish thing-the temple, the museum, the monument or whatever might make them see their trip through Jewish eyes.

In this week’s Torah portion, the Israelites mark the stops of their journey through the desert on the way to the Promised Land. The journey is as important as the destination. What makes each of our life’s journeys Jewish outside the walls of Temple Sinai? How do we see the mundane moments and seemingly secular places, through Jewish eyes?

If your summer journey is taking you away from home, I hope that you, too, can find something Jewish about it - bringing you a sense of comfort and pride that the imprint of our tradition can be found in almost anything if you’re looking for it.

Shabbat shalom,

Beth