# Need Words of Wisdom



## dschles (Jan 23, 2007)

I've come to think of this group as a group with an amazing breadth of knowledge that can answer any question. So, here is what I need help with. My son's bar mitzvah is this summer, and I am compiling the prayer book. In addition to what is always included in the prayer book, we can personalize it to include readings that can be read by friends or family as part of the service. The readings can be anything -- they can be, but don't need to be, religious. Anything that might be meaningful or offer guidance to a teenager would work. The reading can be a poem, words to a song or ??. 

I have been surfing the internet looking for some ideas, but haven't really found anything. Anyone have any suggestions?


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

Diane,
Some might find it cheesy but I like the lyrics to the Leanne Womack song, "I Hope You Dance." I think it's a great message.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2008)

Diane,

Could you give give everyone a breif description of the bar mitzvah ceramony for those of us who don't know...


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## dschles (Jan 23, 2007)

To answer Diane's question, a bar mitzvah is a jewish "coming of age" ceremony held when a jewish boy turns 13 (a bat mitzvah is the ceremony for a girl and can be held when the girl turns 12).

At a bar or bat mitzvah, the 12/13 year old is recognized as an adult in the eyes of Judaism. Typically, the bar/bat mitzvah child will lead many of the prayers during a Saturday (shabbat) service, will read from the torah, and will give a speech about that week's torah portion. The prayers and torah reading typically are in hebrew, although the translation of the torah portion is often read too. While not required, many bar/bat mitzvah children do a community service project in advance of their bar mitzvah (for example, our son is a chess player, and he will be going to the local VA hospital to play chess with VA patients; he also may raise money to send chess set to US soldiers in Iraq or other countries).

I hope I have adequately described a typical bar/bat mitzvah. There are great variations, as there are varying beliefs and traditions within Judaism. The prayer book I am compiling will include the traditional prayers, but I would like to personalize it with readings (songs, poems or ??) that would be appropriate for a "coming of age" celebration.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Well, I'm not sure if you like Dr. Seuss but I always loved *Oh The Places You'll Go! *and I've always found it appropriate for graduations and other coming of age moments. My fiance received a copy at his 8th grade graduation and then another (from someone else) at his high school graduation. My mom got me a page in my senior year high school yearbook and she wrote an excerpt from it for me. I don't think it's only for older kids as the heading out of town is mostly a metaphor for "going places" in life. Sorry too much of an intro to something you're probably already read, LOL. 

Here it is in full, though you can just do an excerpt of it if you'd like:

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course, 
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH! 
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself 
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek, 
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course, 
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

---Dr. Seuss


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## casperkeep (May 16, 2007)

Well, I love music and have over five hundred c.d's so I will go through and see what would be appropriate....Congrats to your son....I hope he sends some chess games overseas that would be really nice!!


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

Hi Diane~~having given two bat mitzvahs, and a half-Jewish wedding, I would suggest that you email all of your family and friends for help on this one. Ask them for inspirational things~~poems, songs, quotes, prayers~~ that have guided them through their lives that they would like to pass onto your son as he grows into an adult. Since they know your son, that will be more meaningful. Also,I know that my husband's Torah reading at his own Bar Mitzvah (Jonah and the Whale) so many years ago still means so much to him. So others in your family might refer to Torah readings they liked. 
Good luck with all of the preparations. It's a really meaningful and special family event. best, amy


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Diane, I'm not exactly sure what you want. Do you want us to help contribute some of those reading options? Or even point you to some? Do you have a length in mind?

I found some short ones that I found to be good. If you go here, then look in the column titled "Wisdom", then click on "Challenges", I saw several that I would have kept around as a teen. I loved motivational quips.

I love Amy's idea.


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## dschles (Jan 23, 2007)

Havtahava said:


> Diane, I'm not exactly sure what you want. Do you want us to help contribute some of those reading options?  Or even point you to some? Do you have a length in mind?
> 
> I found some short ones that I found to be good. If you go here, then look in the column titled "Wisdom", then click on "Challenges".


To answer Kimberly's questions, I am looking for ideas for readings (or just point me to a source). I think the readings should be at least a few paragraphs long, so longer than the quotes in that site -- although that is a great site that I will need to remember. Including the readings is a nice way to include lots of family members in the service.

Amy's idea of asking family for ideas is great, but I doubt my family or my in-laws would come up with much -- just not that type of family. I will ask some of my friends as they may have some ideas. I am impressed that Amy's husband remembers his torah portion -- of course, it probably helps that he had a particularly well-known portion. My bat mitzvah was many years ago, and I have no recollection of what my torah portion was about.

I think excerpts from Dr. Seuss' "Oh The Places You Will Go" might be a good choice as a reading by my nieces and nephews (who range in age from 13 -20 years old).

Thanks for all the ideas.


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