Friday, March 18, 2011

Next up...

And that is it regarding Beorn's bar mitzvah!

The next major simcha we will be celebrating is Beorn's high school graduation this June. Although it is not going to be anywhere near extravagant as his bar mitzvah, I will probably still document what I can of it here.

Please stick around!

October 18th, 2006 Part II


OK, it was the fact that I'm on dial-up that I couldn't upload the videos before. Here they are, enjoy!














2011 edit: I don't know if this is going to work. If not, use the previous link and password to my photobucket to view the videos.

October 18th, 2006

I finally have both CD's I as expecting of the Bar Mitzvah pictures, and they have been refomatted to a reasonable size for posting.

Again, I only have pictures from the dessert buffet and the Sunday brunch, since we aren't allowed to take pictures at shul on Friday night and Saturday until sunset.


Beorn next to the dessert buffet before everyone started arriving.


Everyone singing "I Will Survive" by Donna Summer. I have video clips to upload, but I can't seem to figure out what to do on photobucket to upload them. :::sigh:::


Paul played DJ for the karaoke. He did a great job, too!


Hubba, Hubba!


The undecorated, but whole, Torah-shaped cake I made


The decorated Toah-shaped cake. We forgot to take a picture before we cut into it. The scrolls were chocolate jelly rolls with chocolate filling, and the center was white cake with chocolate filling.

Here are some pictures of guests enjoying the buffet.




Sunday morning we hosted our out of town guests for a NY Deli-style brunch. Dick (Paul's dad) brought up nova and belly lox and a whole smoked whitefish that Deli Den filleted for us.



There are pictures of guests and us enjoying ourselves on my photobucket Gator Pam - Bar Mitzvah album. Password: simcha.

LMK if you think I should post anymore here with further descriptions.

September 17th, 2006 Part II

Last Sunday we still had guests in town, so today was the first time I took Beorn to the "t'fillin club" at Lubavitch. He put on t'fillin for the first time (actually, it was put on him as he had no idea what he as doing) and took part in the morning minyan. Since he no longer has RS Sunday mornings, and Judaica High School starts at 12:15 p.m., I hope we can do this weekly.

He had to borrow a set of t'fillin. I hope we'll be able to afford a set for him soon.

September 17th, 2006

I just totaled up all of our expenses. I spent more than the $1500 I had budgeted, but that included a tip for the caterer who helped set up and break down the suedah shlitshis, and donations of $180 each to the Lubavitch Jewish Center and Congregation B'nai Israel. Altogether, we spent $2083.32. Not bad.

Again, I had no decorations, other than the balloons a generous congregation member donated. But I truly focused on the service, and found my family didn't need decorations or a theme, other then the one stated in the Torah portion of joining the community, to have a wonderful experience.

September 15th, 2006 Part VII

Another Addendum

I was volunteering at the shul today, when the mother of the young brother and sister who helped out during Havdalah (Erin) came up to me and said, "I want to thank you."

Me: "For what? I should be thanking you for coming to the bar mitzvah and for letting your kids take part in Havdalah."
Erin: "For having the most beautiful bar mitzvah service I've ever been to."

I just became speechless, and then gave her a hug...

September 15th, 2006 Part VI

:::Addendum:::

Beorn received a telephone call from a board member of Peaceful Paths, inviting him to a board meeting to receive recognition for collecting the 500 cell phones for his Bar Mitzvah project. We had to turn them down though, as I had a program to run that night.

Pictures to follow whenever I get them!

I hope you enjoyed. I am personally very happy with the way everything turned out, and am immensely proud of everything Beorn has accomplished.

September 15th, 2006 Part V

Sunday Brunch

I was back up at 7:00 AM, running to the one deli here that has bagels that are somewhat close to a real New York bagel. I had ordered a pound and a half of nova lox, a pound of salty belly lox, and one large filleted smoked whitefish from Deli Den in Fort Lauderdale. My FIL picked it up, put it on ice, and brought it up with him for the brunch. It held up very well.

By 10:00 AM, everyone was there. We served:

Orange Juice and Strawberry-Banana Juicy Juice
Coffee
Crockpot Oatmeal
Scrambled Eggs
Various Oven Heated Bagels
Butter
Cream Cheese
Nova Scotia Smoked Salmon
Belly Lox
Filleted Smoked Whitefish and
All of the leftover desserts from the night before

By noon, everyone was finishing saying their good-byes and departing. MIL stayed one more night, and she and Paul started cleaning while Beorn watched the special features disk on the Commons Room projector and surround sound system of the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD my sister and her husband gave him for his birthday present. I had every intention of helping, but fell asleep on one of the couches and they let me sleep until 5:00 PM.

At 6:00 PM, Beorn started getting hungry again, and he had received a gift card to The Olive Garden from his three therapists, so he begged to go there. We had (and still have) some food leftover, but we catered to him as it was still his special weekend. Beorn, Paul, and I had the all-you-can-eat pasta bowl, and Paul’s Mom just had some minestrone and bread sticks, as well as a rum and coke.

When we left the restaurant, Beorn got ready for bed, and Paul and I returned to the Commons Room to sweep and mop the floor and to set it back up for the ESOL classes that would be coming at 8:30 the next morning. MIL returned to her hotel.

We stopped at MIL’s hotel room in the morning for one last good-bye as we drove Beorn to school on Monday morning, and the weekend then officially came to an end. We’re slowly returning to normal, whatever that means.

September 15th, 2006 Part IV

Dessert Buffet

I raced home, changed outfits, and made sure the dessert buffet was ready to go, while Paul schmoozed and stalled guests at the shul. Then, at 10:00 PM, everyone arrived and the party began.

Paul had been able to successfully hook up the karaoke machine to the projection and surround sound system in the Commons Room, and the kids that game played pool, air hockey, ping pong, and foosball.

The dessert buffet consisted of the following:

Torah-shaped cake made from two chocolate jelly roll cakes with chocolate filling and a white 9x13” cake cut in half and filled with the same chocolate filling. The two jelly rolls were placed on either end of the 9x13” cake to represent an open Torah scroll and the two round ends. I then covered all of the cake with white icing, inserted wooden dowels in the four ends of the jelly rolls to mimic the handles of the Torah, and attempted to write ‘Mazel Tov Beorn’ on the 9x13” part.

I did have a picture taken after the cake was iced, but before it was decorated. A picture was taken after it was decorated, but the cake had also been cut into at that point.

I also had two coconut layer cakes with coconut cream cheese frosting, two key lime pies, red velvet cream cheese brownies, a double chocolate mocha trifle, and chocolate fondue with frozen cheesecake, marshmallows, maraschino cherries, pineapple, and mini cream puffs to dip in it.

Finally, I had a sundae bar with chocolate, vanilla, or orange and cream ice cream (Beorn’s favorite) with cake cones, sugar, cones, and waffle cones, as well as various toppings and syrups.

Of course soda and coffee was available for all who wanted.

We wrapped up the party at midnight (short and sweet, B’H), and stayed up until 2:00 AM cleaning up the Commons Room, starting the crockpot oatmeal, and setting up what we could of the brunch for the same out of town relatives and guests that came to Friday night.

September 15th, 2006 Part III

Saturday Evening Service and Dinner

Two of Beorn’s b’nai mitzvot classmates served as ushers, making sure men had on a kippah (head covering) and handing out the programs for the service the Rabbi and I put together. Again, if anyone wants to see it, I’ll be happy to email it to you.

We all went into the sanctuary, with Paul, Beorn, and myself sitting in the front pew. The Rabbi called on Paul and me to say the Shehecheyanu, the prayer of thanksgiving, and then called on my sister and her husband to present Beorn with his tallis (prayer shawl), since that was their gift to him. Once Beorn was enwrapped in his tallis, he ascended the bima (altar) to lead the mincha (afternoon) service, all in Hebrew.

The main reason why we were all gathered to celebrate occurred during the mincha Torah service. On Saturday afternoon three sections of the following week’s Torah portion is read. First a Kohain (a descendent of Aaron, Moses’ brother) is called up to recite the blessings over the first reading. Then Beorn chanted the first portion of the next week’s reading (Deuteronomy 29:9-29:11, multiple pages until it says second reading.) Then a Levi is called up to recite the blessings over the second reading. Beorn then chanted the second portion (Deuteronomy 29:12-29:14).

Finally, it was the big moment. Beorn chanted the blessing before the Torah, chanted the third portion (Deuteronomy 29:15-29:28), and then chanted the blessings after the Torah.

After the Torah reading, the rabbi had Beorn give his other speech. This one the rabbi helped him with.

[insert speech whenever I get a copy]

He then continued to lead the mincha service in Hebrew, including returning the Torah to the ark all the way through the concluding prayers.

We then went into the social hall for the suedah shlitshis, the Shabbes third meal.

We had:

Hor d’Oerves:
Devilled Eggs
Gefilte Fish with ground horseradish
Spinach and Feta Phyllo Puffs
Individual Mozzerella Caprese with Balsamic Syrup

Main Buffet:
Lasagna
Eggplant Parmesan Casserole (for low carbers as it was unbreaded)
Mixed Field Greens Salad with diced mango, craisins, nuts, and a sweet dressing
Roasted Vegetables (asparagus, green beans, zucchini, more eggplant, button mushrooms, portabello mushrooms)
Cut Fruit Salad (cantaloupe, honey dew, watermelon, strawberries, mixed grapes, fresh pineapple, carambola)

Sweet Table:
Chocolate Cake with white icing
Mountain Trail Mix with additional M&Ms
(remember, about half the guests were coming to a dessert buffet afterwards)

We had Stolichnaya Vodka, Bacardi White and Gold Rums, Tanqueray Gin, M&R Vermouth, and Kahluah, along with various mixers available, and sodas and coffee.

During the meal, the Rabbi got up and explained the table with all of the collection baskets Beorn had set up for six months for his Bar Mitzvah project. Here is the write-up about the project the shul had sent out in their email newsletter:

Beorn Wagner, a student at the Alachua Learning Center and B'nai Israel Religious School, has combined his 7th grade service project and Bar Mitzvah project to benefit Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network.

Beorn has discovered that, even if disconnected from a service provider, all fully charged working cell phones are able to dial 911 for emergency services. Peaceful Paths will accept old cell phones and their accessories (batteries, chargers) and give them directly to their clients, victims of domestic abuse, so that they will be able to call for help in any emergency situation.

Peaceful Paths will also take donations of cell phones without accessories. These phones can be turned in to a recycling center for cash, which helps Peaceful Paths keep their doors open.

Beorn has made collecting old cell phones and their accessories his project through September 8th, 2006. He has set up collection centers at the following locations:

[various collection locations listed]

Won't you please join Beorn today in helping victims of Domestic Abuse protect themselves and their loved ones? Your most generous donations are sincerely appreciated!


Towards the end of the meal, the Rabbi called upon me to say a few words. Here is what I said:

Several years ago, Congregation B’nai Israel hosted a program which featured a married couple who were professional story tellers. They told many Jewish folktales, but one really touched my heart. As soon as I heard it, I knew I would use it for my speech for this Bar Mitzvah.

I searched the internet for the story (no title was given at the program), but was only able to find summaries of the tale. So I paraphrased it a little. I hope it touches your heart like it did mine.

There once was a young boy who was gifted academically. He studied with teacher after teacher, always surpassing their knowledge in a short time. Finally, he was sent to the wisest teacher known in their community.

This teacher was so wise that he was able to give the community all kinds of helpful information. He could tell them when it would rain so they knew when to plant their crops. He could tell them when the frost would come so they would know when to harvest. He could tell them what was wrong with them so they could get over their illnesses.

At first the young boy was ecstatic. Anything he wanted to know, his master could tell him. But, as he matured, he wanted to best his master at least once. So he decided to test him and prove that he could make a mistake and that he really didn’t know everything. He studied and studied, coming up with more and more esoteric questions based on Torah and Talmud. But every time he tried, the master always knew the answer. He was always able to quote the passage or source where the young man was searching for his answer.

One day, out of frustration, the young man came up with a plan. He would catch a baby bird and approach his master with it cupped in his hands. He would then ask his master what he had in his hands, and whether it was alive. Even if the master knew that it was a baby bird, the young man could still have an advantage. If he should say it’s alive, the young man planned to push his hands together and the bird would be killed. If he should say that it’s dead, the young man would open his hands and reveal the living bird. Either way, thought the young man, he would better his master.

So the young man caught a baby bird and went looking for his master. When he found him, he asked him to come out. The master came out and said, “Yes, my son. What can I do for you?” And the young man held out his cupped hands with the bird in them and said, “Master, I have two questions for you. First, what do I have in my hands?” The teacher looked at the student and then at the student’s hands and said, “Why, you have a baby bird in your hands.” The boy answered, “Yes. Is it alive or is it dead?” The teacher looked at the boy’s hands and then at the boy and said, “My son, the choice is in your hands.”

And so it is with your Jewish education. Daddy and I have done our best to provide you with the opportunities to study and learn what it means to be a Jew. With the help of the fabulous Gainesville Jewish community, we have sent you to Ramah Darom and religious school, as well as Camp Gan Israel and youth group.

Now comes the point in your life where the semi-weekly exposure to Judaism through religious school no longer applies, and you start to make choices for yourself. This does not mean we won’t insist on you going to services, Judaica High School, and youth group! But as you mature and prepare yourself to leave home for college, the choice of embracing Judaism and making it a fundamental part of you is up to you.

You did wonderfully this afternoon, and we know you will do just as well leading us in saying good-bye to Shabbes. We are so proud of you, and love you.


Right after I finished up, Beorn came waltzing back into the Social Hall from the bathroom. He didn’t hear a word I said!! Argh!!! I think I’ll sit him down and read it to him again at some point this coming weekend.

Then Beorn led us in Birkat HaMazon (the Grace after Meals, also in Hebrew), and we returned to the sanctuary for Beorn to lead us in ma’ariv (evening service) and Havdalah, the service that separates the Shabbes from the regular week. All of which is also done in Hebrew.

For Havdalah, we use a braided candle, a spice box, and a cup of wine. I got small Havdalah candles and paper bobeche, and made up small gusset bags with some chai tea and had the two ushers hand one of each to the guests as they returned to the sanctuary so they could take part in the Havdalah service. Everyone kept asking how were we going to light the candles, and I told them we had it covered.

After ma’ariv, the rabbi called me up, and I read the following corny poems while Beorn held the lit Havdalah candle so those honored by being called up could light the candle they were given:

Candle Lighting Poems

Poppie and Grandma:
The music in your hearts
Shines forth in all you do
Poppie and Grandma, come light your candles
As I say “I Love You!”

Aunt Sue and Uncle John:
Although you live in Pennsylvania
You see me when you can
Aunt Sue’s singing and
Uncle John’s photos
Make me your number one fan

Uncle Jerry and Aunt Angie:
For years we had lost touch
Then you moved near-by
With Uncle Jerry and Aunt Angie
In my life I never have to cry

Uncle Mel and Aunt Helaine:
Every Pesach we go down
To Uncle Mel and Aunt Helaine’s
Now it’s their turn to visit me
And my joy is plain

Andy and Lenny:
From the beginning Andy and Lenny
Have been there to raise a cheer
Come up you two, light a candle--
It’s my Bar Mitzvah year!

Dani and Grady:
I’ve known Dani since day one
Then Grady came to the stage
Let your light fill this performance
Now that I’ve come of age

Cheryl and Connie:
At first in Elementary and now in High School,
And in the afternoon,
Jewish Education is a constant refrain
When you call the tune
And though I'd rather have played around,
You both gave me the drive, so
Miss Cheryl and Miss Connie,
Come keep the flames alive!

ORSH: (Beorn’s Elementary School)
My education started right
Because of all you do
Folks from The One Room School House
May your candles always burn true

ALC: (Beorn’s Current School, said with a Rap beat)
Two grand a year in fuel
Barely gets me to school
Its easy to see
That the ALC
Is where the people are cool!

B'nai Mitzvot:
Our group is small but joyful
We’ve been together every year:
B’nai Mitzvot class of 2006 come light your candles
And help everyone else who is here!

Paul was still sitting in the front pew, and he said the front where everyone was gathered with their candles was brightly lit and gorgeous. :::happy sigh:::

Then those honored returned to their seats and helped the others in the congregation light their candles. Beorn handed the large Havdalah candle he had been holding to a six year old friend whose four year old sister held a tray beneath the candle to catch the dripping wax. A b’nai mitzvot classmate held the Kiddush cup while his 11 year old sister held the spice box.

Once everyone’s candle was lit, and they had their small spice bag, Beorn chanted the blessings in Hebrew. At the appropriate palces, everyone held up a hand to the light of their candle, and sniffed the fragrance of the spice bag. The rabbi then poured some wine onto the tray and placed the wick of the burning candle into it to extinguish the flame. Everyone else blew their candle out.

As the lights came up, the Rabbi glanced up and stated, “I hope the smoke detectors don’t go off.” It is the first time anyone did a community Havdalah service with everyone having a candle at our sanctuary. It was all over by 8:45 PM.

September 15th, 2006 Part II

Saturday Morning

Saturday morning at 10:15 AM, Beorn, my sister, and I returned to the Lubavitch Jewish Center for shacharis service and musaf (morning and intermediate service). Lubavitch is about as observant Jewish as you get (men and women sit separated by a divider and the service can last three hours straight). Most of my guests haven’t been in a shul in years, and I wasn’t going to request they do that, not even Paul, so it was just the three of us. Beorn was given the maftir aliyah (last reading of the weekly Torah portion) to chant the blessings over, and then chanted the weekly HafTorah, which happened to be Isaiah, Chapter 60.

You can hear the blessings before the HafTorah, the portion Beorn chanted (Isaiah 60:1 - 60:22), and the blessing after the HafTorah, all in Hebrew, that Beorn chanted. Of course, this isn’t him doing the chanting on this website, but it is what he chanted.

The rabbi then asked Beorn to say a few words.

He had forewarned us that he expected Beorn to give a speech, and we know that the rabbi and his six year old son, always talks about the weekly Torah reading, so Beorn’s speech concentrated on his HafTorah portion. I will blatantly admit Paul wrote the speech. But, he and Beorn sat down together and went over the portion and the different themes Beorn wanted to talk about. Here is Beorn’s morning service speech. Mendel is the rabbi’s six year old son.

Since I know Mendel is going to speak to us today on this week's Parshah, I decided to talk a little about the HafTorah portion I just chanted. The Haftorah to Parsha Ki-Tavo is Isaiah, Chapter 60. This passage is certainly one of the most widely quoted in the Torah. Verses from Isaiah have been used to support the programs of Freemasons, Mormons, Fundamentalists, and Kabbalists alike, and there are even references to this chapter in Islam. But what does the passage say to the modern practicing Jew?

The special blessings of G-D have called forth the Jewish people to become “a light unto the nations.” It is up to Jews to set a spiritual, moral, and practical example that all others can look up to. Even a humble person who is enlightened by devotion to G-D can teach a mighty king. The gathering together in Israel of Jews from around the world, and the transformations that they have wrought in the Holy Land, have attracted the attention of the entire world community. It is clear that prosperity and support from the world inevitably follow the blessings of G-D.

Isaiah tells us that even former enemies of Israel will one day accept the will of G-D and trade peaceably. On that day the world will be glorious. But some do not believe or apply themselves to this vision, out of fear or envy. Isaiah reminds us that G-D will not abandon his people, but reward them. This is always true even though in the past some enemies of the Jews gained advantages over them, for G-D was displeased; but now He shows favor and mercy. Have no fear of your neighbors, but trade freely and prosper, for enemies of the Jews will not survive.

Even the most dire foes such as Lebanon will work in the plans of G-D to make Israel a more beautiful place. Instead of fighting, there will be reconciliation and apology. Then Jerusalem will become a heavenly city, and all those who receive such blessings and those who live to see this come to pass will have proof positive of the power of G-D to accomplish even what may seem impossible. With prosperity will come justice. With justice will come peace, honor, and respect. With all these will come joy and thankfulness. The world will be enlightened in the truest sense, far more brightly than ever the sun or moon could accomplish. This light will never go out, and sadness itself will pass away. And by this new light we will see clearly, pursuing what is right and producing what is excellent to glorify G-D through our service to one another. On that day even the least among us will become mighty and our children will have multiplied beyond counting.

So the essence of this beautiful passage that longs for the Kingdom of M’Shiach is threefold: First—the glory of G-D transforms the whole world through the perfection of His light. Second—the transformation brings ease, peace, beauty, and justice to all people who believe and accept the will of G-D. Third—we are not there yet; there remain the fearful, the envious, and the hatemongers.

Those who study Kabbalah might comment that this chapter has twenty-two verses, an important number to be sure. But many emphasize rather the transcendent nature of the light of G-D, especially the passage where the sun and moon are eclipsed by the true light.

On that day, the children of Israel will shine as stars in the sky, fulfilling in yet another sense G-D’s promise. The light of G-D brings worldly (and therefore imperfect) justice and prosperity to their full potential, because it is only in a land without shadows that we can see our neighbors clearly.

So what does this mean in the daily life of a Jew? We anticipate the coming, perfected world and turn our faces toward the light of G-D, and then shine for our fellows. In this way the coming-together of the nations will be a fulfillment of prophecy and not a gathering of wolves; in this way the world of M’Shiach will be established despite all opposition; in this way there will be peace.

I want to thank Rabbi Goldman and the Lubavitch Center in Gainesville for constantly being there for me and my family since first grade. The experiences I had here on Friday nights and at Camp Gan Israel taught me that Judaism is much more than just Connie's amazing chicken soup, but is really a part of who I am and affects everything I do. I look forward to helping Lubavitch be a light to the Gator Nation for years to come.

Thank You.


Of course, we had the other aspie moment when the rabbi turned to Beorn and said, “Would you like to say a few words?” and Beorn answered right back, “No…” But he did say the speech after I shot him a very stern look.

After we finished services, a Kiddush lunch was served and we returned home about 2:30 PM. I still had to assemble and frost the torah-shaped cake before getting ready for the main ceremony at 6:00 PM. We all barely made it on time, but we did it.

September 15th, 2006

OK, here is my synopsis of the whole weekend. I wanted to include Beorn's speech that he made Saturday night at the main ceremony, but he didn't bring home the hard copy and my rabbi has not gotten around to emailing it to me. He and Beorn composed it together on his computer, so I have no copy of it myself until it's sent to me.

Friday Night:

Wow, how do you relate a life affirming experience so others can experience it? I don’t truly think I can, so I’ll just describe the details and hope to share a little of the joy we experienced through the descriptions.

I spent the week prepping the food for the meal at the shul (temple) and baking the cakes for the dessert buffet at the Commons Room in my apartment complex. And I still ran out of time. If it wasn’t for some very generous neighbors and congregation members, I truly think I would have collapsed from worry about it not getting done.

By Friday evening, I still had two additional cakes to bake and frost, the fondue to assemble in the crockpot so it could just be put into the crockpot insert and turned on, and the trifle to assemble. I had to leave it, and hurry home to shower and change.

At 8:30 PM we met 12 out of town relatives and close friends at the Lubavtich Jewish Center for Kabbalat Shabbes services and dinner with 300 UF students afterwards. Beorn didn’t do anything at this service or dinner, but the rabbi made a big deal about it being his Bar Mitzvah weekend and being called up to the Torah for the first time the next day, and our guests appreciated it.

We had our first aspie moment when a UF student came to our table to congratulate Beorn. It turns out he was one of Beorn’s bunk counselors at camp this summer, and he is a new freshman at UF this Fall.

He offered to shake Beorn’s hand and wished him Mazel Tov, and Beorn replied by saying, “What are you doing here? This table is for invited guests only.” Argh!

Unfortunately, I was halfway down the table and didn’t hear this exchange. Beorn told me about it later.

Dinner was the wonderful four course meal the Rebbetzin always prepares, from salad and gefilte fish, through chicken matzah ball soup and stuffed cabbage and noodle kugel. Dessert was parve tiramisu, yummm.

Unfortunately Craig never made it. I have heard from others what happened, but am still waiting to hear from him. I hope all is well.

Dinner ended around 11:30 PM, and I really felt we couldn’t hang out and visit that much as we had a very busy and intense day the next morning. So we all gave each other hugs and kisses and returned home or to the hotel.

September 8th, 2006

Beorn's simcha is this weekend, so I figured I should update on what we decided to do.

I have a total budget of about $1250. So, I felt I truly could not concern myself with themes or decorations. Since Beorn is doing mincha/ma'ariv/havdalah, and his portion is Nitzavim since he reads three aliyot from the following week's parsha, we concentrated on 'community' as a unifying theme, with the emphasis on the service itself.

Beorn did not invite anyone, as he has no friends. Somehow we wound up with 100 invited guests for the ceremony anyway, and he seems OK with that. Here is what planned.

We have about 20 out-of-town relatives coming in. On Friday night we will all attend Kabbalat Shabbes services and have Erev Shabbes dinner at the Lubavitch Jewish Center. The rebbetzin prepares dinner for 250 - 300 UF students every week for free, and she assured me my 20 family members will be no additional hardship. I plan on sending them a donation of $180 as soon as I possibly can though.

Even Beorn's therapists agreed it was expecting a bit much for him to attend Saturday morning services (our Rabbi's preference) and to still able to get through his ceremony Saturday afternoon, so we'll visit with relatives Saturday morning, and I'll run over to the shul after kiddush lunch to organize the set-up for our simcha. My budget is so limited that I am doing most of the cooking, but Beorn's favorite Religious School teacher (from kindergarten!) gifted us with hiring the Palestinian Chr-stian woman who does most of the shul's catering to set-up and break down everything for us (B"H!).

Another member of the congregation is hosting kiddush lunch in honor of a third member of the congregation's anniversary, and she has agreed to leave her decorations from lunch for our simcha. So, the shul's social hall will be decorated with multi-colored tablecloths and helium 'Mazel Tov!' balloons. Fine with me! It's more than I had planned.

Beorn is leading us for all of mincha, including the Torah service and chanting all three alityot with him reciting the blessings over the third portion. Then we'll break for the suedah shlitshit (Shabbes third meal) in the shul's social hall, which will be the main meal I am serving my guests since we get out of services so late at this time of year.

My Father-in-Law is providing vodka, rum, kahluah, and single malt scotch, as well as some mixers. I figure we'll have OJ, coke, half & half, and tonic water for those who want.

We will have an appetizer table with my own wonderful (if I do say so myself) deviled eggs and Individual Mozzerella Caprese, gefilte fish (bought by the same member who is leaving the decorations for me), and spinach and feta stuffed phyllo squares fixed by the caterer. Then we'll have my own lasagna and a lasagna made with eggplant instead of noodles (my sister has a wheat allergy, so the eggplant will be unbreaded) as the entrees. I'll serve a mixed greens salad with craisins, diced mangoes, and nuts, with a sweet dressing over it, a platter of roasted vegetables, and a quinoa tabouli.

We'll start with challah for Beorn to make motzi on, and since I am doing a dessert buffet as the party afterwards at my apartment's Commons Room, all I'll serve as a sweet at the suedah shlitshit is mountain trail mix with additonal M&M's mixed in.

I'll have coffee, decaf, hot water for tea, and soft drinks on hand for those not imbibing. Or forthose who might imbibe too much!

Then we'll go in for ma'ariv, which Beorn is also leading us in, except for the prayer for the days of awe, which my sister will lead.

At this point it should be time for havdalah, and anyone who brought cameras will be allowed to start taking pictures. Especially since I can't afford a photographer.

Beorn will light and hold the havdalah candle, while a brother and sister from his b'nai mitzvot class (the boy is already 13, but his sister turns 12 in December, so they're doing a joint ceremony in December) passes out a havdalah candle to every other guest. Each candle will have a paper bobeche to protect the guest from drips. The guests who don't have a candle will get a small mesh bag that I got at Michael's for 20 cents each using their 50% off coupon for Memorial Day stuffed with an herbal tea sachet inside it.

Beorn will then have a list of corny poems for 10 groups of guests. Those guests will come up to him and light their havdalah candle and stay up front with him while he reads through the poems and recognizes those who are being honored. We're ending with his entire b'nai mitzvot class (I had to invite them, so I may as well keep them from getting too bored), so I hope they're still listening.

After the 10 groups have beee recognized and lit their candles, they'll return to the congregation and allow others with unlit candles to light theirs.

Two more sets of brothers and sisters will then join us. The six year old boy will hold the havdalah candle, and his four year old sister will hold the tray the shul uses to catch the drips from the candle. The boy from Beorn's b'nai mitzvot calss will hold the kiddush cup, and his 11 year old sister will hold the spice box. Beorn will then lead us in havdalah, and hopefully everything at the shul will be over by 8:45 PM.

I have instructed Paul to mingle and chat with the guests at the shul while I fly home and see how the set-up for the dessert buffet in my Commons Room is coming along. A co-worker I invited has two under two, and she felt she culdn't attend the service, but volunteered to set-up the buffet for me (B"H!). So, I'll drive home, change clothes, and do the finishing touches between 8:45 and 10:00 PM, which is when the guests are supposed to arrive. I asked Paul to try and stall everyone at the shul until 9:30, but I know that's wishful thinking.

I am going to attempt to make a Torah-shaped cake (thanks for all of the advice, riddle!). I am pretty good at making key lime pies, so I figure I'll make two of those as well. I'll have an ice cream sundae bar for the kids, and any adults who wish to partake, and then I'll make chocolate fondue that I'll keep warm in my crockpot and serve with sliced fruit and marshmallows. I'll make some coffee and have some soft drinks.

I have reseved the Commons Room from Thursday night until Sunday afternoon. We have a surround sound system and an LCD projector, so while I'm making the deseerts Thursday night my sister and her husband (who are from Pittsburgh) will come by and watch the Dolphins/Steelers game since they will have arrived by then. I'll also set up the karaoke machine to be used on the surround sound system and the projector for the 'party.'

The Commons Room also has a game room with a pool table, ping pong table, foosball table, and air hockey. It is my hope the kids from the b'nai mitzvot class will be occupied in there while my sister tried to get the adults to take part in the karaoke.

Thankfully, the 'party' is only going until midnight. Do you think I have enough desserts for 50 guests for two hours? Or do I need anything else?

Sunday morning my 20 out-of-town guests will come back to the Commons Room at 10:00 AM for a farewell brunch. I plan on making steel cut oats in the crockpot, getting several dozen 'hot doughnuts now!' from Krispy Kreme, cut melon cubes, and some fish brought up from south Florida (you can't find any decent quality smoked fish here in Gator Town) by my father-in-law with bagels, cream cheese, and vegetable toppings.

I'll have coffee (no decaf this time) and orange juice for beverages.

By noon, everyone should be gone, and we'll begin cleaning up. I'm nearly positive I can do this on the $1250, plus the money my father-in-law is spending on the alcohol. I think considering Beorn had no input on what he wanted, and he's just excited to see multiple family members at one time that he usually sees separately, it will be a small, but nice, event.

It may take me awhile after the simcha to recoup and repost, but I'll let y'all know if we pull it off and how it all goes.

September 5th, 2006

Beorn's simcha is this weekend, so I figured I should update on what we decided to do.

I have a total budget of about $1250. So, I felt I truly could not concern myself with themes or decorations. Since Beorn is doing mincha/ma'ariv/havdalah, and his portion is Nitzavim since he reads three aliyot from the following week's parsha, we concentrated on 'community' as a unifying theme, with the emphasis on the service itself.

Beorn did not invite anyone, as he has no friends. Somehow we wound up with 100 invited guests for the ceremony anyway, and he seems OK with that. Here is what planned.

We have about 20 out-of-town relatives coming in. On Friday night we will all attend Kabbalat Shabbes services and have Erev Shabbes dinner at the Lubavitch Jewish Center. The rebbetzin prepares dinner for 250 - 300 UF students every week for free, and she assured me my 20 family members will be no additional hardship. I plan on sending them a donation of $180 as soon as I possibly can though.

Even Beorn's therapists agreed it was expecting a bit much for him to attend Saturday morning services (our Rabbi's preference) and to still able to get through his ceremony Saturday afternoon, so we'll visit with relatives Saturday morning, and I'll run over to the shul after kiddush lunch to organize the set-up for our simcha. My budget is so limited that I am doing most of the cooking, but Beorn's favorite Religious School teacher (from kindergarten!) gifted us with hiring the Palestinian Chr-stian woman who does most of the shul's catering to set-up and break down everything for us (B"H!).

Another member of the congregation is hosting kiddush lunch in honor of a third member of the congregation's anniversary, and she has agreed to leave her decorations from lunch for our simcha. So, the shul's social hall will be decorated with multi-colored tablecloths and helium 'Mazel Tov!' balloons. Fine with me! It's more than I had planned.

Beorn is leading us for all of mincha, including the Torah service and chanting all three alityot with him reciting the blessings over the third portion. Then we'll break for the suedah shlitshit (Shabbes third meal) in the shul's social hall, which will be the main meal I am serving my guests since we get out of services so late at this time of year.

My Father-in-Law is providing vodka, rum, kahluah, and single malt scotch, as well as some mixers. I figure we'll have OJ, coke, half & half, and tonic water for those who want.

We will have an appetizer table with my own wonderful (if I do say so myself) deviled eggs and Individual Mozzerella Caprese, gefilte fish (bought by the same member who is leaving the decorations for me), and spinach and feta stuffed phyllo squares fixed by the caterer. Then we'll have my own lasagna and a lasagna made with eggplant instead of noodles (my sister has a wheat allergy, so the eggplant will be unbreaded) as the entrees. I'll serve a mixed greens salad with craisins, diced mangoes, and nuts, with a sweet dressing over it, a platter of roasted vegetables, and a quinoa tabouli.

We'll start with challah for Beorn to make motzi on, and since I am doing a dessert buffet as the party afterwards at my apartment's Commons Room, all I'll serve as a sweet at the suedah shlitshit is mountain trail mix with additonal M&M's mixed in.

I'll have coffee, decaf, hot water for tea, and soft drinks on hand for those not imbibing. Or forthose who might imbibe too much!

Then we'll go in for ma'ariv, which Beorn is also leading us in, except for the prayer for the days of awe, which my sister will lead.

At this point it should be time for havdalah, and anyone who brought cameras will be allowed to start taking pictures. Especially since I can't afford a photographer.

Beorn will light and hold the havdalah candle, while a brother and sister from his b'nai mitzvot class (the boy is already 13, but his sister turns 12 in December, so they're doing a joint ceremony in December) passes out a havdalah candle to every other guest. Each candle will have a paper bobeche to protect the guest from drips. The guests who don't have a candle will get a small mesh bag that I got at Michael's for 20 cents each using their 50% off coupon for Memorial Day stuffed with an herbal tea sachet inside it.

Beorn will then have a list of corny poems for 10 groups of guests. Those guests will come up to him and light their havdalah candle and stay up front with him while he reads through the poems and recognizes those who are being honored. We're ending with his entire b'nai mitzvot class (I had to invite them, so I may as well keep them from getting too bored), so I hope they're still listening.

After the 10 groups have beee recognized and lit their candles, they'll return to the congregation and allow others with unlit candles to light theirs.

Two more sets of brothers and sisters will then join us. The six year old boy will hold the havdalah candle, and his four year old sister will hold the tray the shul uses to catch the drips from the candle. The boy from Beorn's b'nai mitzvot calss will hold the kiddush cup, and his 11 year old sister will hold the spice box. Beorn will then lead us in havdalah, and hopefully everything at the shul will be over by 8:45 PM.

I have instructed Paul to mingle and chat with the guests at the shul while I fly home and see how the set-up for the dessert buffet in my Commons Room is coming along. A co-worker I invited has two under two, and she felt she culdn't attend the service, but volunteered to set-up the buffet for me (B"H!). So, I'll drive home, change clothes, and do the finishing touches between 8:45 and 10:00 PM, which is when the guests are supposed to arrive. I asked Paul to try and stall everyone at the shul until 9:30, but I know that's wishful thinking.

I am going to attempt to make a Torah-shaped cake (thanks for all of the advice, riddle!). I am pretty good at making key lime pies, so I figure I'll make two of those as well. I'll have an ice cream sundae bar for the kids, and any adults who wish to partake, and then I'll make chocolate fondue that I'll keep warm in my crockpot and serve with sliced fruit and marshmallows. I'll make some coffee and have some soft drinks.

I have reseved the Commons Room from Thursday night until Sunday afternoon. We have a surround sound system and an LCD projector, so while I'm making the deseerts Thursday night my sister and her husband (who are from Pittsburgh) will come by and watch the Dolphins/Steelers game since they will have arrived by then. I'll also set up the karaoke machine to be used on the surround sound system and the projector for the 'party.'

The Commons Room also has a game room with a pool table, ping pong table, foosball table, and air hockey. It is my hope the kids from the b'nai mitzvot class will be occupied in there while my sister tried to get the adults to take part in the karaoke.

Thankfully, the 'party' is only going until midnight. Do you think I have enough desserts for 50 guests for two hours? Or do I need anything else?

Sunday morning my 20 out-of-town guests will come back to the Commons Room at 10:00 AM for a farewell brunch. I plan on making steel cut oats in the crockpot, getting several dozen 'hot doughnuts now!' from Krispy Kreme, cut melon cubes, and some fish brought up from south Florida (you can't find any decent quality smoked fish here in Gator Town) by my father-in-law with bagels, cream cheese, and vegetable toppings.

I'll have coffee (no decaf this time) and orange juice for beverages.

By noon, everyone should be gone, and we'll begin cleaning up. I'm nearly positive I can do this on the $1250, plus the money my father-in-law is spending on the alcohol. I think considering Beorn had no input on what he wanted, and he's just excited to see multiple family members at one time that he usually sees separately, it will be a small, but nice, event.

It may take me awhile after the simcha to recoup and repost, but I'll let y'all know if we pull it off and how it all goes.

August 13th, 2006

So, my menu for the meal at Beorn's Bar Mitzvah has been cut way back. I'll have about $500 to spend on about 100 guests. I have guests with wheat allergies, low carbers, and people who do not eat fish, eggs, onions, garlic or mushrooms due to religious restrictions.

Here is what I am planning as of now:

Challah for HaMotzi

Appetizer Table:
Deviled Eggs
Individual Mozzarella Caprese
Gefilte Fish with Horseradish (canned or jarred)
Spinach and Feta Puffs

Main Meal:
Lasagna {using egg replacer for the eggs in my recipe and making my own sauce substituting hing (asafoetida) for any onions or garlic and leaving out the mushrooms}
Eggplant Lasagna (same recipe, substituting lightly sauteed slices of eggplant for the lasagna noodles)
Tabouli (sub quinoa for the bulghar wheat)
Tossed salad with a selection of salad dressings (I love the one with craisins and diced fruit, I think it's mangoes?)
Platter of roasted vegetables consisting of colored peppers, asparagus, green beans, portabello mushrooms, potatoes, etc.

We are having the dessert buffet outside the shul after services for about half the guests. Do you think I need to serve a small cake at the shul dinner anyway since not everyone is coming to the dessert buffet?

My FIL may pay for a small liquor selection during the meal. I know I won't have the budget to buy any.

It looks like I'll have about $800 total for this part of the weekend, but I am planning on putting together an explanatory booklet of the services and indivudal prayers for my mostly non-Jewish guests and about 50 small indivdual havdalah kits using the following items so every few guests can do the ceremony along with Beorn.

Havdalah Candles
Disposable Candle holders (I'll need to cut holes out of the bottoms to slide up the candles)
Guaze bags to hold the herbal tea packet for the spice
cheap cigarette lighters to light the candles
I'll use a nice ribbon to tie all of these things together into a nice packet.

So, that is why I'm figuring about $500 for the ingredients.