The Davis Academy's 2018 Simchat Torah celebration was immeasurably enriched by a Dvar Torah written and shared by 8th grader Reese Baker. As you read her speech (included below) take a moment to consider the strong feeling of connection that Reese describes. Connection to the Torah, but also connection to her own story, to the generations that have come before and are yet to come, to Jews around the world, and the the values that Jewish tradition teaches. It's wonderful to see a young adult having such a strong sense of self and connection to the broader stories of the Jewish people.
Chag Sameach!
My name is Reese Baker and I am an 8th grader here
at Davis. About a week ago, Rabbi Micah asked me to give this Dvar’ Torah and to describe how the Torah impacts my life. After much thought, I concluded that it is not what the Torah says that impacts me personally but
what it symbolizes. I started to think about the amazing tradition
here at Davis of unwrapping the entire Torah around our community, which will take place in a few minutes. I thought about each grade that the Torah surrounds and the connection that they all have with it. A couple of memories quickly came to mind of the many ways that I connected to the Torah through my nineyears here at Davis.
First, I thought of kindergarten, in Mrs. Weiser's class,
making small Torahs and decorating them with my friends for this holiday. As I continued through the years, the 2nd grade siddur ceremony definitely stood out. Learning the hebrew prayers right out of my own personalized siddur gave me a connection to the Torah at a young age. I next thought of the 5th grade Torah service, where my class nervously learned and read from the Torah in front of our parents and other classmates. Then, onto 6th grade, when my friends and I got very excited to finally hold the Torah for this celebration, as we had watched the older kids do year after year. In 7th grade and 8th grade, each and every student in our class learned their very own Torah portion for our Bnai’Mitzvot. We learned what they meant and found a deeper meaning within the words.
And now, here we are. It is very strange for me to think that this is my last year as a student celebrating Simchat Torah with my Davis community. The process that I just described to you was a shared experience with all of my classmates that all of you will also get to go through in the coming years. It is not only an experience that we, as Davis students encounter, but it is also one that we share with other boys and girls around the world. The Torah provides a connection between us and them. It is a connection to our heritage, to our family and to all of the Jewish people around the world. As we constantly say here at Davis, L’dor Va’dor, from generation to generation. The Torah connects these generations and will always continue to do so. As the Torah is unrolled, that is what I will be thinking of. I will be thinking of the journey that I experienced, from kindergarten all the way to 8th grade, and the way that the Torah has connected me to my classmates and different Jewish communities. The connection that Davis has given us from the Torah has provided us with a connection that we will always have with each other, no matter where we go in life.
And to the 8th Grade, I can not wait to experience the ultimate Davis
Torah connection with you on our trip to Israel later this year.
Thank you.
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