On a very basic level, our 8th graders carried out their various responsibilities with great respect and enthusiasm today. They did a great job leading the prayers. We heard a wonderful D'var Torah from Amalia H., and more. They can pat themselves on the back for a job well done. But, at least in my analysis, this doesn't account for the special feeling that so many of us experienced. Something else was going on.
I knew we were in for a special Shabbat from my first interaction with our 8th graders today. I knew it, because I saw little signs that showed me their openness, their desire to create a meaningful experience, and their sense of excitement and appreciation. When I say "little signs" I mean "little signs." Like when I told them they'd have to remove their comfy fleeces and sweatshirts and they didn't put up a fight. Like when we brought a stack of Davis Academy teal kippot and the kids happily took them and put them on. Like when I asked if there were any volunteers to lead our opening call to order and instantly had a willing group. These little moments showed me a group of kids that were engaged, committed, enthusiastic, aware, mindful, and ready.
Every Shabbat service has its own rhythm. Today's Shabbat service steadily built in participation, spirit, warmth, and love. Standing at the front of the room I could literally watch it happen. Sometimes Shabbat takes on this collective spiritual energy by sheer coincidence. Sometimes it feels like magic. Today it felt like the natural and inevitable outcome of the presence and integrity that our 8th graders brought with them to this milestone moment. They truly rose to the occasion. They "made Aliyah."
Next week these same 8th graders will travel to Israel. For two weeks we will travel together across our Jewish Homeland. When a Jewish person moves permanently to Israel, it's called "Making Aliyah." Aliyah is a Hebrew word that many of us know. It means something like "ascending" or "rising up." While all of our 8th graders will be coming back to the States at the end of their Big Trip and therefore won't literally be making Aliyah, I am filled with the belief, based in part on today's Shabbat service, that this year's Israel Trip will feel like we are "making Aliyah" in a different sense. Today our 8th graders tasted what it feels like to rise up to an important occasion. They got a glimmer into what's possible when we are fully present, mindful, and engaged. During this morning's Israel Sendoff Shabbat, they made Aliyah, they rose up, and ascended to a new height. And in their rising, they found in themselves the power to lift and carry their entire community with them.
Once you've experienced the feelings of self-transcendence and stepping out of the mundane into something truly sacred and larger than yourself, there's no turning back. My prayer and my belief is that this year's Israel Trip will give all of our 8th graders a chance to explore this uniquely human capacity with the fullness of their being.
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