To Life Foundation

Rabbi, Cantor, Dr. Schulman, Mr. Schiwartz, Mrs. Wooley, Family and Friends. Thank you for the
opportunity to stand before you and present my Bar Mitzvah Part. I hope that you can all learn a lesson
from both my Bar Mitzvah Part and the story I will tell about my bar mitzvah project. I know that I have.

My Part is Noah taken from the book of Genesis

In my Portion, we learn that G-d decides to bring about a devastating flood to destroy the world.
It is believed that G-d thought that the people of the time were bad. However, he decided to
save mankind and two of each animal so that the world would eventually be reborn. Noah and
his family were spared. Why Noah? G-d saved him because "he was a righteous man,
blameless in his generation and because he walked with G-d". To me, this means that he was a
spiritual man who prayed often, performed many mitzvot and often thought of others over
himself. Compared to others of his time, he was considered by G-d, to be the best of his
generation.

As with all teachings, there are lessons to be learned here. However, this lesson is not so
obvious. Why would G-d want to destroy nearly all living creatures on earth? There must be
good intentions from G-d, but where were they? G-d wanted to start fresh because man was
unkind. A rebirth of mankind would make the world a better place. Noah agreed to build an ark
and carry on G-d’s wishes. He asked in return that G-d make a promise, a covenant. He wanted
to make sure that something as awful as the flood would never happen again. At the end of this
story G-d promises to never destroy the Earth again and creates a rainbow which, to this day,
still represents that covenant.

But did G-d keep his promise? There are still many disasters that take human life. How do we
explain this? I believe G-d did keep his promise. G-d provides us
with lessons and guidance and faith when tragedy strikes. We learn in this story that acting
kind, helping others, respecting G-d, family and tradition are the foundation to living a
meaningful life. Even the most awful and devastating events can have some silver lining.

Unfortunately, it was easy for me to relate to this story. While trying to decide how to give of my
time for my bar mitzvah project, I was faced with a lesson that also was not that obvious.
Something good would come from something painful... In May of 2009, my brother Hunter was
hospitalized for a rare and dangerous condition called septic arthritis. It was a very difficult time
for my family. He remained in the hospital for 5 long days, undergoing two procedures within
that time. The hospital can be a very scary and boring place. But thanks to the kindness of a
young man named Ezra Abraham, his stay was not so bad. Ezra Abraham was a child victim
to cancer. While he spent many days and weeks in the hospital, he saw other children who
suffered. He wanted there to be a place where the kids could escape yet still be within the safe
halls of the hospital. Even though Ezra was ill, he worked extremely hard to raise money and
started a foundation that funded the Ezra Abraham "To Life" youth lounge. The center was a
wonder for sick kids in the pediatric wing of Monmouth Medical Center. There, ill children could
enjoy state-of-the-art video equipment, computers and games. There was also an area for
smaller children with toys and games that were appropriate for their age. Ezra's kindness
made such a difference in my brother's experience. Hunter looked forward to going there each
morning and brought all of his visitors to look at the amazing "playroom". Suddenly what
wasn't so obvious finally became clear, I would raise money for Ezra's foundation. In my
backyard, I hosted a basketball fundraiser for kids and donated the proceeds to the foundation
so that they could update the equipment, games and toys. Although Ezra passed away, he has
taught me that you can promote kindness even in the face of extreme difficulties and that an
obvious tragedy, could ultimately result in a beautiful gift.

If I could leave you with one message, it would be to be to appreciate every day and take the
opportunity to help others whenever possible. I am certain that Ezra Abraham, like Noah,
was one that walked with G-d. He set an example for others through his generosity and
kindness. In closing, both Noah and Ezra Abraham inspire me to Walk with G-d, I hope that
you have been inspired as well.

Thank you,
Jackson Reid