For me the arrival of Chanukah not only signals the arrival of glowing menorahs, lots of latkes, and dizzying dreidels, but it also signals the anniversary of my Bat Mitzvah! This year is the 9th anniversary, I cannot believe time has flown by. Seventh grade seems like it happened way more than 9 years ago.....
A Chanukah Bat Mitzvah was really special. Actually, my memories from my Bat Mitzvah are really special. So bear with me, I feel inclined to go down memory lane.
The weekend got a magical layer of snow, which meant no school on Friday! It was a great way to calm my nerves, down-side I was not allowed out to play for fear of pneumonia...Friday night we had Shabbat dinner at shul for family and out of town friends. I requested an unusual meal... since I don't like the typical Jewish catering I asked for Chinese. My aunt and uncle brought from my favorite place in Philly, and sufganiot came from Lakewood!
Saturday is a blur of a memory. I read all but 2 aliyot, and I never learned the 6th that well. My (somewhat crazy) cantor looks at me as I finish it and says "well, that was the best faking of a 6th aliyah that I ever heard...." Hey! I made it through.
Saturday afternoon I was freed from the restriction on any activity that could cause injury - read this as I was out in the snow as fast as I could get out of my suite!! That night our family came over, we all lit menorah, we hung out, had the usual embarrassing memory slide show, and cut the cake.
Sunday AM it was snowing again (really it was so magical!). The cousins spent so much time outside, my little cousin Yona ran into a tree (we still tease him about this) and then when people left my family collapsed from the excitement of the weekend.
It really seems crazy that is has been 9 years. So much has happened since then. I may have become a Jewish women that day, but events since then have helped me become the women I am today.
Now I go back to humming my parsha, I am bummed that I cannot read Torah this year, something I will have to do next year for the 10th anniversary!
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