Two years ago, on an early Saturday morning, my family and I entered the doors of Beth Israel Congregation. To this day, it has remained the most important event of my life, and I still remember it clearly. Becoming a Bat Mitzvah is a highly honored Jewish tradition and is one of the most important and praised occasions. My Bat Mitzvah was the day I turned into a woman in the eyes of the Jewish culture. My extended family had flown from all over the world, including thousands of miles from Israel, to celebrate the important day with me. Numerous emotions were rushing through my body that morning, and I was exuberant to celebrate this special event in my life. However, throughout all of my excitement, I was also very nervous, because I felt that there was so much pressure on me to handle everything perfectly.

The day of my Bat Mitzvah came relatively fast, and before I knew it, I was sitting in the synagogue, anxiously waiting for the service to start. As everyone settled in the sanctuary, I could feel my heart racing and my body tensing up. I felt as hot as a blacktop on a summer day, as my body temperature was increasingly rising and sweat started soaking my back. Being as nervous as I was, I thought of the many days of practicing hard for this exact moment, and felt relieved. When the time finally came for me to read the Torah in front of all my friends and family, my whole body shook uncontrollably.

The Rabbi called my name, and I stepped up on the podium and looked around, uneasily. The room was full of people I knew and loved, smiling at me. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Everything after that was a blur, but I remember hearing my voice filling up the room, chanting the various sections from the Torah. I could feel myself getting more comfortable on the podium. Half way into the reading, it gradually became easier for me to get the words out of my mouth. The butterflies in my stomach disappeared, and I felt my muscles relaxing. As I read, I started to sense a connection to God in that moment, and realized that this was the whole point of becoming a Bat-Mitzvah.

The time was passing by surprisingly quicker than expected. After I finished the reading, it was time for me to read the speech I had worked on for months. I had rehearsed the speech every night in front of my parents and worked extremely hard on making it perfect. They motivated and encouraged me, and gave me tips on how to talk in front of an audience. Once again, my heart sped up as I prepared myself for the final event. But as I stepped up on the podium again, I felt more relaxed and surprisingly excited to give my speech. I took another deep breath and started reading the familiar words. I explained what I had previously read from the Torah for the people who didn’t understand the Hebrew language. I went into depth about what the reading meant to me and how I felt connected to Judaism. I described the feeling of finally understanding what the Jewish culture was all about, and how I could feel myself maturing and becoming an adult. At the end of my speech, I thanked everyone who had helped me reach this mile-stone and achieve everything I had worked so diligently for. After my last words, the crowd enthusiastically sang the traditional Hebrew song congratulating my accomplishments, and threw candy at me, a Mitzvah ritual. I couldn’t stop smiling. As I looked over at my parents who had tears in their eyes, I could see how proud they were. I finally came to the realization that the countless nights practicing and the hours spent in Hebrew school were all worth it.

Most Bar and Bat Mitzvahs have a party following the service, to praise the achievements of becoming a real Jew. Finally, after a very stressful morning, I was looking forward to celebrating with my friends and family. The whole point of this event following the service is to ease the mind of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and to let them take a breather after a very nerve-wracking morning. At the party, I felt older, more mature and very sophisticated. The rest of the night was stress-free and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Now, two years later, looking back at my Bat Mitzvah, I am especially proud of my accomplishments and how well I handled everything, although I was very nervous at the beginning. Not only did this very impactful event in my life teach me numerous life lessons, it marked the step from being a child to entering adulthood. By becoming a Bat Mitzvah, I learned how to approach hurdles in life and to look at various things more optimistically. Becoming a Bat Mitzvah not only matured me intellectually, but my spirit and soul grew with me as well. I truly believe that this accomplishment affects who I am today, and I will forever remember the joy I felt that day.