Photo Credit: Jewish Press

It is really very hard for me to honestly believe that my oldest grandson, Jack Benveniste-Plitt, is about to become bar mitzvah. How is it possible that the same child whose infant socks slipped from his too-small feet is now almost as tall as me and wearing men’s size sneakers?

Yes, the lyrics are true: “Sunrise, sunset, sunrise sunset, swiftly flow the days, seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze.” It is one thing to sing a song; it is another thing to wrap your head around the fact that the baby has grown up and is almost a teenager.

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Jack is an amazing young man. He is handsome, smart, hard working, dependable and tenacious. He plays guitar. He’s on the football team. He’s in the honor society. He is kind. He is a wonderful son and grandson, big brother and oldest cousin.

The Yekum Purkan prayer at the end of the Shabbat Shacharis service offers a special blessing that includes “…a living and surviving offspring, offspring who will neither interrupt nor cease from words of the Torah…” Most important of all, Jack is a true ben Torah.

My husband and I are grateful for our beautiful family. We thank Hashem for our children and children in-law and our wonderful, wonderful grandchildren. We are filled with joy as we mark this important milestone.

I offer my blessings to our incredible grandson: May you always go from strength to strength. May you always do what’s right, no matter what others are doing and may your bar mitzvah mark one of many simchas we will celebrate together.

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Shelley Benveniste is South Florida editor of The Jewish Press.