Dear B'nei Mitzvah Students and Families:

I feel so lucky to be the primary teacher of our B'nei Mitzvah students. Starting with the sixth grade hebrew class, it is my goal to make sure that each student is prepared to lead the prayers from the bima. In sixth grade we work on the nuts and bolts of the recitation and chanting of the prayers. During five months of private, one-on-one study, we learn to chant Torah and Haftarah and, if we are lucky, attempt to begin to understand the deeper meaning of the prayers.

B'nei Mitzvah is the start of the process through which we become responsable Jewish adults. What does that mean? It is no longer up to our parents whether we do mitzvot, attend religious school and services, or participate in the life of the synagogue. Now, it is up to us. We decide to continue learning (after all, you wouldn't drop out of secular school following 6th grade graduation, would you?) We decide to develop our spiritual lives through study, mitzvot, and prayer. When we become accountable for our own Jewish lives and learning, we begin to head down the path towards increased spiritual maturity.

I can't wait to share this experience with you!