Today is an unforgettable day in our family life. Dad and I feel greatly honored to observe you being called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. 15 years ago back in Beijing when Dad and I decided to get married little did we know what a wonderful son would come into our life. You are the best reward for our 8 months' tough fight with the Chinese bureaucrats for our right to get married. Since then we have watched every step in your growing-up with pride and happiness. When you were going through the terrible twos, we expected you to have a temper tantrum now and then but it never happened. As a teenage boy, you are expected to be difficult and self-willed, but you have promised us that you will never be rebellious and you haven't been--yet. After 13 years you have grown from a joyful and charming little boy into a handsome and intelligent young man.
As you know Dad and I came from different cultural backgrounds so you are the product of two ancient cultures-Chinese and Jewish, which have so many things in common. Both have a long history and tradition, and both treasure the values of family, education, hard work, honesty and integrity. For this reason, you are not only mixed in your appearance and blood, but also in your values and beliefs. If your grandfather were still alive he would be surprised to discover that an old communist like himself would have a hybrid Jewish capitalist as his grandson!
At a Bar Mitzvah the Jewish parents always give blessings to their son. Their blessings show their pride for their son's achievements and express their wishes for his future success. This is similar to the Chinese parents who also have great expectations for their children. As Confucius, the ancient Chinese sage, once said: "Young people should be good sons at home, polite and respectful in society. They should be considerate and faithful and loving in their conduct, and associate with kind people. If after learning all this they still have energy left, let them read books!" Eli, I hope that you will never forget that part of your roots is in China. I have great faith in you that you will carry on those good values from the two cultures into your adulthood, and even pass them on to the future generation.
Today, your grandma, 5 uncles and aunts, their husbands and wives, and 5 cousins who could not attend the ceremony and celebration for your Bar Mitzvah, are all joining me and Dad in giving you their blessings from China. As our blessing, I would like to quote the words of Tseszi, grandson of Confucius: "Being true to yourself is a law of Heaven. It does not matter what you inquire into, but when you inquire into something, you must never give it up until you have thoroughly understood it. It does not matter what you try to accomplish, but once you try to accomplish something you must never give it up until you have done it thoroughly and well. If another person succeeds by making one effort, you will make a hundred efforts; if another person succeeds by making ten efforts, you will make a thousand efforts. In this way, you will surely become intelligent; in this way, you will surely become strong."