bat mitzvah

Mark and I attended our first ever bat mitzvah on Saturday. The honored girl, Hannah, is a daughter of one of Mark's co-workers. It was a very different religious experience for us, and we enjoyed learning a bit about the Jewish religion. The service lasted about 3 1/2 hours total--we were there for 2 1/2. Most of it is done in Hebrew. The Torah is read during the service and it is not just read but chanted. Hannah and several other people took turns reading from the scrolls, which are handwritten and quite large -- very interesting. In one particular part of the service, Hannah carried the Torah through the congregation. She was nervous about dropping it (but did not) because I'm sure it was rather heavy. I am simply amazed at the amount of learning that takes place before one participates in the bat mitzvah service! I can't imagine learning all the Hebrew and melodies to accompany it -- wow! The Cantor was excellent and the Rabbi was very personable and spoke in English. She gave a speech (kind of like a mini-sunday school class) about the Garden of Eden. Hannah also gave a speech (in English) about learning from Isaiah to pay attention so that you don't miss out on important things. Following the services, we were invited to a kiddush luncheon. The food was absolutely delicious -- bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, fresh fruit, a traditional pasta dish of some sort (yum), couscous salad, a pepper salad with olives and feta cheese (my favorite of all the dishes), potato salad, cookies, cake, and I've forgotten what else, but it was all very good!