Construction-Mitzvah" in Vermont

A "Construction-Mitzvah" in Vermont

By Jessica Baron

As April marched towards May in the Spring of 2020, life stayed on pause amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It quickly became clear that we could not host a Bar Mitzvah in Boston on May 30. Although our son, Asher, was disappointed, he was not surprised. The clergy worked diligently to reschedule the Spring mitzvahs and balance individual family wishes. Surely by October 3, 2020 everything would be normal again right?

Our lives have all continued their unsteady shift. Everything looks a little bit different. We realized by early August that life was not returning to normal anytime soon. Rabbi Zecher was very supportive and offered a variety of solutions. As we realized that Asher would not be able to read directly from the Torah, would need to quarantine before returning to school, and that most of his friends and family couldn’t join us in person; a Zoom-mitzvah was becoming the clear solution. We sat Asher down for the more difficult conversation that his Bar Mitzvah was not just postponed, but going to look completely different than he had thought. Asher shared, “I just want my Bar Mitzvah to feel special."

We are building a new home and although it would not be complete, Asher could stand on a porch and lead the service. Grandparents and a few local friends could watch physically distant on the grass below. Asher could Zoom out to all of his friends and family across the United States.

As the day approached, we scrambled to get the technology to cooperate and asked guests to bring their own chairs and wear mud boots for the "Construction-Mitzvah."

The ceremony was chilly. There was an intermittent drizzle, but Asher’s face was full of sunshine and pride as he chanted his portion. Rabbi Zecher asked us to pause several times and scroll through the pages of Zoom. It warmed our hearts to see all the smiling faces as page after page on Zoom held our loved ones. We truly felt like our friends and family were with us.

This experience led us to focus more on the meaning of the Bar Mitzvah. Asher truly understood what it meant to be a community member and how to take care of his community by his actions.