Last week, my daughter along with nearly 100 other RYNJ kindergarten students, received her very first siddur. As anyone who has attended a Chagigat siddur can attest, the event is an exciting celebration for our children as they are now taking an independent step in Jewish tradition. The party is a culmination of weeks of preparation, and it marks the official entry into one’s personal world of prayer.
As I sat in the audience with other family members watching my daughter, my youngest child, perform as if she was on Broadway, belting out the lyrics of various songs and tefilot with enthusiasm and zeal, the pure beauty and innocence of the moment became even more evident. With years away from becoming a bat-mitzvah, this was my daughter’s first moment of formal ritual induction.
I thought to myself how wonderful it would be if Suri could always pray with the same excitement and devotion as she did at her Chagigat siddur. It will not always be as easy to pray with a smile from ear to ear like it was on that warm day in May when Suri received her first siddur. The excitement of the siddur party will not last. But, what I hope and pray will last is her desire and effort to communicate with God at all times.
My dear Suri, may you always find a reason to daven with a smile and take advantage of the opportunity to thank Hashem for all the good that you have.
By Pnina Seplowitz
