Maybe it's me? but a 4ft. 4inch 12-year old davening like he has the world on his shoulders ---- is kinda weird to me. Did I mention that he had it all going on? You Yeshivishers will know what I mean: A black velvet yarmulke, no rim, peyos behind the ears - not overdone but very noticeable - and the hair: a small tshoop, just the edge combed to the side. Being that this was after mincha Shabbos he was already sans the tie. (why wearing a tie to mincha is such a burden I'll never know...) I walked in to shul with a few minutes to spare until maariv, and he was preparing parshas eykev, obviously his bar-mitzvah parsha. At maariv there was at Krias Shma doing the whole thing with trop.... Then at shmone esrei there he was again, when I was at modim he was at Hashiveynu; he spent two minutes on the first brochoh alone. This kid had it all figured out. He may be the next gadol haDor. Did I mention that he looked like he was 7 years old? So there you have the facts. What I wanna know is why his childish antics - albeit trying to act all grown up Yeshivish holy - get to me! Why was I so, so repulsed (!) by this? Is he the first kid that seems to be serious beyond his 12 years? no. Is it the fact that he was of the Yeshivish extraction/persuasion? Maybe. I can be truthful with you. But I'm not quite sure that this was my issue with his behavior. I'd be probably just as amused if it was a Chassidishe kid. But this kid.... what can I say.... It just was weird. It's good that kids take Yiddishkeit seriously, and I don't think they should wait until they're 17 to get serious. L-rd knows they "grow up" so quickly, let the ruchnius come early too. But this behavior just seemed way too much for this blogger.
Thanks for listening.
