Skylar Bergman Ward Dvar Torah

Shabbat Shalom. Welcome everyone to this very special occasion as I celebrate my Bat

Mitzvah. First and foremost, I would like to thank you all so much for coming. I am so grateful

that you came here today to support me. This process has been a journey that took a lot of hard

work from many people. First, I would like to thank my family who worked so hard to make sure

that I always did my best. To my moms, I love you so much. Thank you for always asking me if I

needed any help and if I didn’t, you still helped me anyway. You have always done the most for

me. To my grandparents, Maverick, cousins, and relatives, I appreciate your constant love and

support. To all of my teachers, but especially my voice coach Ms.Jillian, my Hebrew teacher Ms.

Karen, canter Marni, and Rabbi Cy, for making this amazing day possible. Because of you, it is

the best it can be. Thank you to my friends who have supported me by being here today. I feel

very loved and thankful seeing all of you here.

In preparation for today, I was given a passage from the Torah to read and connect to

emotionally. In my passage from the Torah, it told the story of a Nazarite man who left his

community in search of something new. He felt like it was better to leave, because he wanted to

find a new group of people to form bonds with. He then made a decision to come back to the

community because he saw his importance within his inner circle and so did they. When he

returned, he was asked to prove his worth through a series of sacrifices. He was able to then

prove his worth to the group and regain their trust. Without him, their community was missing a

piece. With him, they were now whole again.

They key elements that I was able to take from this passage were the importance of

loyalty, trust, and friendship. When the Nazarite left his group, he was making an important

decision to leave his community behind. It was a difficult decision that he later regretted,

because he realized these were the people he was meant to be with. When he abandoned

those people, he lost their trust. Upon returning, he was asked to prove his loyalty by making

many sacrifices. While proving himself was a challenge, he knew it would be worth it to regain

their bond.

After reading this passage, I could not help but begin to make some connections to my

own personal experiences. Sometimes you have to make hard and difficult sacrifices in your

own life to maintain relationships with the people around you. Once you find your group that

accepts you for all of your flaws and still wants to be around you, you feel safe with them. When

you have this feeling, you never want to let go of it. You are willing to do things you may not

want to do to keep this tight bond that has made you feel so at home.

While I was making connections to my personal experiences, I began to realize the

importance of appreciating the relationships I have built around me. The Nazarite took what he

had for granted and then he worked really hard to get it back. I had to look around a while to find

a group of people who I connected with. It was important to find a community that I was able to

connect with through interests and hobbies. I have been able to find and build relationships with

a mutual respect that makes me feel seen and safe. Instead of finding a group I had to fit into, I

found groups where I already felt like I fit. I realized the importance of relationships where I had

common interests and easy conversations. In the passage, the Nazarite also understood the

importance of having a group that would make him feel fulfilled. He went out to find that group,

but he didn’t realize it was there waiting for him the entire time.

This emphasizes the importance of appreciating the people around you. The story of the

Nazarite man taught me that I should always respect people and be kind. I should never take

people for granted. I’ve been a witness to gossiping and seen how disrespectful and hurtful

“friends” can be to each other behind their backs. It makes you realize that friends are supposed

to support and trust each other without having a fear of not being able to tell anyone how you

feel. A true friendship should be built upon trust and mutual respect of what makes each person

unique. Respecting each other’s boundaries and comfort levels, while also embracing what they

contribute to the friendship. The community seen in the Torah passage demonstrates the value

in finding people who value you. It is important to establish relationships with people who are

willing to forgive your mistakes, because they care more about your presence and company

than your faults.

If the Nazarite man was not a valued member of their community, they would not have

allowed him to redeem himself. They would have not forgiven him for his mistake of leaving and

just pushed him away. This demonstrates that they could have wanted him back but felt possibly

left behind or disrespected. By giving him another chance to prove his worth, they are

acknowledging that they feel like he is an important part of the community, even if he didn’t

realize that on his own initially. This aspect helped me realize that we all bring something special

to the table. Without a friend’s presence, you could be at a loss. I was able to see this for myself

one day when a friend could not make it to an activity with us. Her absence left a feeling of

emptiness and changed the group’s communication with each other. I saw firsthand how every

person brings something important to every interaction whether it be their attitude, sense of

humor, or communication skills. Our group changed without her overall demeanor. The passage

helped me be confident in the fact that the people that I have relationships with respect me and

want to be around me. The community that I have made for myself is so special to me and I

would be willing to do anything to maintain that special bond.

Since attending Temple each Sunday, I have learned a lot about our religion and

struggles throughout history. I have learned the importance of our Jewish community and

culture. I have made good friends at Temple who I am happy to be around. We have grown

together in many ways. During this time, I have seen growth in myself and my beliefs. This

journey has taught me to be more outgoing and willing to make new friends. I was forced out of

my comfort zone after growing up in a small town with the same people for a long time. This has

helped me believe in myself. Everyone worked together to make this very important day

happen. Today we all deserve to celebrate and take a deep breath. We worked hard as a team

and now all deserve to take a break and celebrate this accomplishment together.Thank you

again for everyone for coming. Thank you to my parents for loving me unconditionally. Thank

you for working so hard to make this celebration so special. I am looking forward to my new

responsibilities within the Jewish community. It is an important role that I take very seriously. I

am very thankful for being able to have this experience and to get to celebrate it with my special

community. Hope you all have an amazing day and again, thank you so much for coming!