Make Someone Smile Every Day
Everett drew a Torah portion that asks a hard question, and he did not dodge it. Nitzavim means standing. Vayelech means and he went. In…
The moment a young person stands at the Torah and says: I am ready. These are the stories of the students, the families, and the journeys that brought them to an extraordinary B’nai Mitzvah with Neshamah.
Tova’s Bat Mitzvah at The Neshamah Institute | Vayeishev & A Good Name
Every so often a student’s name turns out to be the whole point of their Torah portion. That is Tova. Brothers, a Coat, and the…
Alexa’s Bat Mitzvah at The Neshamah Institute | Vayeitzei & Waiting for the Dream
Some Torah portions ask us to move forward. Alexa’s asked her to wait, and that turned out to be exactly the lesson she needed. A…
Valentina’s Bat Mitzvah at Neshamah: Kindness, Legacy, and Strength
A Chain She Now Carries Valentina opened her service by reminding everyone what a Bat Mitzvah truly means: becoming responsible for doing good in the…
Sam’s Bar Mitzvah at Neshamah: A Story of Courage and Kindness
There is a particular kind of quiet I have come to recognize in the weeks before a Bar Mitzvah. It shows up in a slightly…
Lucas’s Bar Mitzvah | A Story of Family and Memory
Lucas’s Bar Mitzvah Lucas stood before our community and did something I ask of every Bar and Bat Mitzvah student, but that not every thirteen…
Dylan Becomes a Bat Mitzvah: A Leap of Faith at The Neshamah Institute
Dylan’s Bat Mitzvah at The Neshamah Institute felt like a promise, one she made to herself, to her family, and to the generations who came…
Jared’s Bar Mitzvah Celebration: A Story of Family, Faith, and Friendship
Jared’s Bar Mitzvah I want to share a little about Jared’s journey to the bimah, because his story is one of resilience, love, and the…
The Torah Portion That Was Always His: Emerson’s Bar Mitzvah and the Brother He Carries
I have known Emerson for years. I remember him as the little brother, bright-eyed and full of energy, looking up at his older brother Noah…
Wrapped in Tradition: A Bar Mitzvah at the Neshamah Institute in Delray Beach
A Picture Worth 1,000 Words This photo from Devin’s Bar Mitzvah says it all. Proud parents, a shy but hardworking kid, and a loving family…
From the Desert to Boca: Celebrating Ian’s Bar Mitzvah
From the Desert to Boca: Celebrating Ian’s Bar Mitzvah This May, our Neshamah community had the joy of watching Ian become a Bar Mitzvah. And…
Bar Mitzvah in Boynton Beach: How Tyler Honored a Hostage on His Special Day | The Neshamah Institute
He Remembered: Tyler’s Bar Mitzvah and the Promise He Made There are Bar Mitzvah speeches, and then there are Bar Mitzvah speeches that stop the…
Sasha’s Bat Mitzvah at The Neshamah Institute | Goats & Accountability
Sasha’s Bat Mitzvah: What a Goat Taught Us About Growing Up There is a moment in every bat mitzvah that I live for. It is…
A Bar Mitzvah and Parshat Nitzavim: How One Young Man Chose to Stand | The Neshamah Institute
Ethan’s Torah portion was Nitzavim, and it could not have been a better fit. In Nitzavim, Moses gathers every single member of the Israelite community…
A Bar Mitzvah at Neshamah | Celebrating Noah
Most Bar Mitzvahs are beautiful. Some are moving. And every once in a while, one stops the room. Noah’s Bar Mitzvah was that kind. Noah,…
A Bat Mitzvah and the Shema: What One Young Woman Taught Her Community | The Neshamah Institute
Isabella stood before her community in January 2026 and said something so simple and so true that the room went quiet. By Rabbi Amy Rader…
Twin B’nai Mitzvah Miami Beach | The Neshamah Institute
There is something extraordinary about a Bar Mitzvah. A young person steps forward, takes the Torah in their hands, and says in front of everyone…
Bar Mitzvah Boca Raton | Daniel’s Story | Neshamah Institute
They came to us with a question many families are afraid to ask out loud.Mark and his wife had a son, Daniel, who was 11…