what makes you different makes you beautiful

i just got confirmed this past week at my temple, and i had to write a speech. my rabbi liked it, as did my english teacher, and i was pretty proud of it myself. thought i’d share it.

If I were to look back at myself, say, five or six years ago, I would see a different person. When I look back at how far I’ve come with the growing up process through my adolescence, it’s really remarkable. I’ve had discoveries about what I really believe in, and how I want to treat others, among many other discoveries and awakenings.

The first of those discoveries came in 8^th grade. I wrote a research paper on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I learned of his pacifistic beliefs, and his methods of passive resistance. I thought it was incredible that a man, who didn’t believe in violence, was able to fight for what he wanted WITHOUT violence or anger. How profound, I thought, were his beliefs.  That it doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, Asian, Jewish, Christian, or Muslim- you’re a PERSON underneath it all. And if we want this world to ever start to be a better place, it’s so important for us to realize that we need to treat all people, no matter what race, with love and respect. It was after writing this paper that I declared myself a pacifist, and that I wanted to avoid fighting with people at all costs. I figured that there will always be a way to talk out problems peacefully. I love following King’s teachings, and I really want to remain a pacifist forever.

Now, I wouldn’t be able to be make a speech about self-discovery without talking about my experiences at Eisner Camp. If there was ever a place where I truly found myself, it was right there. I also must give credit to Eisner for helping me form my own beliefs about Judaism. I can’t even go into every detail of how much Eisner has changed my life, because I’d be talking up here forever. I have made friends there that have influenced me in more ways than they’ll ever know.  I have so many memories of moments of spiritual connections to God, too. I have memories of times when I’ve felt that there was, in my mind, without a doubt an existence of a superior force out there in the universe that cared about me, and the people in my life. I’ve had countless experiences there that influenced me, and guided my course to get me where I am today. Also, this summer, I’m thrilled to say that I’m going to Israel with my camp friends on a teen tour with NFTY for four weeks. I can’t put into words how excited I am to visit such a beautiful and a holy place.

I’ve got so many more beliefs that I’ve developed so far on life, and I love standing by my beliefs and being an individual. I stand before you today, at my confirmation, with some of my best friends, explaining what I’ve come to learn and believe in so far. Confirmation, to me, means that you’re now officially a member of the Jewish community and that you promise to love and believe in God forever. Well, I couldn’t be happier to finally be making this promise to myself, my community, and my God. It’s an honor to officially be a part of such a beautiful faith.  I’m so proud to officially be a part of Yisrael- those who wrestle with God, and ask questions, and wonder, and dare to explore what they really believe in.  I’m proud to be part of Yisrael in a religious sense, and a secular sense, learning and asking questions about my beliefs. I can only hope that in the future I never stop learning about what I believe in, and who I am. And, if you haven’t already, I hope that you all look within yourselves, and really establish what you think, value, love, and believe in.  To sum up everything I believe in, and what the Torah teaches us, I’ll leave you with some words of wisdom: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” I think it’s called the golden rule for a reason. If you give all of the love you can for everyone and everything out there in the world, that love is definitely going to come back to you, and people will love and respect you right back. When we learn to love everybody, no matter their differences, then we can start to make the world a better place to live in.  Yasher Koach to the Confirmation class of 2009, I love you guys.