Posted on February 6, 2026 by Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
Dear friends,
This Shabbat’s Torah portion is Parashat Yitro, the Torah portion that contains our People’s revelatory encounter with God at Mt. Sinai and the giving of the “Ten Commandments.” Our midrashic tradition, unsurprisingly, is rich with stories and interpretations of the “Sinai Moment.” One of the most inspiring and widely known is the notion that assembled at Sinai’s foot were not only the Israelites who had escaped Egyptian slavery, but actually the souls of every Jew who had ever or would ever be born. We all were there, hearing and accepting the mitzvot and our responsibility as Jews to uphold Torah in our respective generations and situations.
One of the ways we continue to carry forth that covenant, or brit in Hebrew, is our tradition of Brit Mitzvah, when young Jews who have reached the age of Jewish legal responsibility are called to the Torah for the very first time. For those Jews who have had the honor of becoming Brit Mitzvah, this first aliyah to the Torah is their Sinai Moment–their chance to stand with their community and accept their responsibility as a transmitter and carrier of Torah.
Many in our community, though, did not get this opportunity. Perhaps they are women who came of age in the era before Bat Mitzvah for girls was a common, or even an accepted, practice. Some may have converted to Judaism in adulthood and thus missed out on the Brit Mitzvah process. Still others may have been born and raised as Jews but not in synagogue community, thus not having a bimah up to which to be called.
I am thrilled to be able to announce that, if you fall in one of these categories or were unable to have a Brit Mitzvah for some other reason, your chance to ameliorate that is here! Beginning this fall, we will be holding an Adult Brit Mitzvah course! Approximately twice a month, the Cantor and I will join these Adult students on a journey through Torah, Haftarah, and Judaic studies, all in pursuit of a beautiful, joint Adult Brit Mitzvah ceremony in Spring of 2027!
We will be assembling the cohort of students over the course of the next few months. If you are interested in joining the cohort and pursuing Adult Brit Mitzvah click here to register your interest in joining the cohort!
Adult Brit Mitzvah is some of the most meaningful work I have ever done as a rabbi, and I am so proud to be leading, alongside Cantor Wallach, my first cohort of students here at Temple Beth-El. I can’t wait to watch you all be called to Torah in front of a sanctuary full of your fellow temple members and all those who love and support you! It will most assuredly be an awe-inspiring day. Seize your Sinai Moment!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Noah Diamondstein