Dad's Speech at Kiddush
Shabbat Shalom everyone,</h1>
I want to thank all of you for being here with us today. It means so much to our family — to Melissa and me, to Ruby and Eva — to be surrounded by friends, family, our synagogue community.
Thank you to Rabbi Rosin, thank you to all of Ruby’s wonderful teachers like Mora Tarah, thank you to our religious school director Gina Giuffre, and everyone at the synagogue who guided Ruby through this process, Thank you to our executive director Rachel Gritz, and thank you to our new HJC president Leigh Murphy and the HJC Board, a really distinguished group of people, especially now that I’m no longer on it.
And if you had a good piece of Lox this morning, say thanks to my mom for contributing to this amazing Kiddush prepared by the equally amazing HJC Sisterhood. And most importantly, thanks to Melissa, my Eshet Chayil (wife) for being the center of our family, for putting so much love and care into this occasion and every day leading up to it.
During the pandemic, Ruby spent a lot of time on Roblox — playing, chatting; just trying to stay sane. One day, we find out: Ruby’s been banned for “inappropriate language.” So we sit down with her to get the full story. And she says: “I didn’t call anyone bad words! I said ‘bish’ and ‘tarsh!’”
We can guess what “bish” and “tarsh” mean, and it’s become an inside joke for us, to this day. But, it was such a Ruby moment — bold, creative… and hilarious.
You see, Ruby’s never just going through the motions. She always brings her full self — her humor, opinions, passion — to everything she does.
Ruby is a very curious person. Over the years, I’ve heard this on practically a daily basis: “Dad, I have a question…”. And these are usually not easy questions. They range from science and ethics, how the world works, to what is the meaning of life.
And She isn't just curious; she's deeply engaged. A surprising example is her intense interest in the Holocaust. Ruby’s been captivated by that period's stories, tragedies, and the resilience of the Jewish people. We've discussed the weight of this history for someone her age. It’s not always easy, but her strong Jewish identity makes it personal to her. And I admire her seriousness and depth.
Ruby loves to sing and perform in her school plays. She is also a builder — in the broadest sense of the word. She builds mansions in Roblox, complete with custom layouts and dream pools. But she’s also building herself. Her ideas, her identity, her strength.
And she’s not afraid to stand her ground. She will absolutely call me out when she thinks I’m wrong — which, according to her, happens quite a lot. She argues her case with passion and precision. Sometimes with fire. But always with heart.
She’s athletic, too. She loves being in the pool — every year she’s the first one in, even when the water is still freezing. She plays tennis and basketball, and in her last basketball game of the season — her undefeated team’s final match — she was the unofficial MVP, scoring the most points. She played great and that same drive shows up in every part of her life.
And she’s a people person. Ruby loves connection. She’s outgoing, engaging, someone who can talk to anyone. But she also feels things deeply. She’s sensitive, she cares. And she takes things to heart.
I try to show up for Ruby in every way that I can. But I know that, as her father, I haven’t always gotten everything right. I’ve made mistakes — moments I look back on and wish I’d handled differently.
One of those moments — which luckily turned out okay — was a couple of months ago, when I took Ruby and Eva Go Kart racing…
When we got there and I saw the helmets, the 50-mph speed limits, the serious racers cutting everyone off… I started to panic. This was real. They’ve never done this before. I’ve never done this before. But Ruby was OK. She took it seriously. She figured it out. And by the second race, she was racing confidently around the track — even passing me. It was a moment of revelation: we’ve raised someone who can handle herself. Who can meet a challenge and rise to it. I’m so impressed with her. She’s lapping me literally and soon figuratively as well.
And when it comes to her bat mitzvah, she met this challenge and she rose to it. She didn’t just check the boxes — she really embraced the journey. She wanted to take on as much as she could. And today she chanted beautifully in Hebrew, and she delivered a d’var torah, all in front of this community, her friends and family. That takes dedication. And guts. And love for something bigger than herself.
Ruby, you are so many things: funny, smart, brave, you’re becoming fiercely independent, but also staying tender-hearted. I hope you keep asking questions. I hope you keep swimming first, even when the water is cold. I hope you keep building things, speaking your truth, and staying connected to who you are and where you come from.
We love you more than words can say. Mazal tov.