Counting the Omer Day 6
Barbara Rubin
THIS IS PERSONAL! Eighteen or so years ago, I was asked to the bimah with my father at the synagogue to recite the introduction and ending blessings to the Torah. It was the occasion of my stepdaughter’s Bat Mitzvah.
Since I am not her “natural” parent, I took quite a bit of offense at not being able to have the Torah passed to me. That said, the Torah and I have had a strained relationship these past years. When I come to the synagogue, I am asked to honor Rachel and Sarah which I do proudly, but doesn’t the Torah honor ALL MOTHERS, in whatever form?
The trip to Israel this past December has softened me somewhat. The “new” background and history that I learned about has made me wiser to the Torah’s teachings about mothers and women in general.
Judaism and the Torah do not “pick and choose,” even though some clergy might. I now know a mother is a mother, natural or otherwise. The Torah has made me stand up and appreciate who I AM, and at every Shabbat that I attend at synagogue, I praise the mothers who came before me and are still my inspiration.
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