This past November of 2013, I wrote my bar mitzvah d’var Torah about how the definition of traditional marriage has changed and advocated in favor of same sex marriage. It was uploaded on our synagogue’s website and, within two weeks, it had gone viral. I was invited to speak on Laurence O’Donnell’s show on MSNBC. I was interviewed by newspapers, tweeted by celebrities, and was even invited to speak at the URJ Biennial. As of today, over 280,000 people have watched a speech that was intended for just my friends and family at my bar mitzvah.
Some people wrote extremely angry and violent responses about my speech and about me personally. Many others wrote about how deeply they were touched in context of their personal stories. I got feedback on my d’var Torah from as far away as England, Spain, and Israel. It felt amazing to see my message reach so many people and from so far away!
I discovered that I enjoy advocating for a cause I feel strongly about. I spent the rest of the year working with Oregon United for Marriage and loved the feeling of camaraderie. The whole thing was an extraordinary experience for a 13-year-old to have.
And, even though it was awful reading hateful messages about me and my family, I wouldn’t change a thing. I learned a powerful lesson. One person’s voice really can make a difference, and if I had one small part in Oregon’s decision to overturn the ban on gay marriage, I’m really proud of myself.
The other thing I learned is that I should always do one more pass on my homework. As my mother now loves to say, “You never know. It might go viral.”
