Dad ready for his bar mitzvah.
My father was bar mitzvah in September 1941 in the Bronx. A few months later, the world would change for the USA. But on this day, my Dad celebrated with his family. He stands here on the roof of his building, posing so that they had this photo of him.
He used to tell us stories about studying for his bar mitzvah. He and his best friend would meet with the Rabbi together. Their bar mitzvahs were held just weeks apart. They were not the best students and often got in trouble. His favorite story was telling us about the time they were wrestling while they waited for the Rabbi. They accidentally broke the leg of the table where they studied. Quickly they fixed it as best they could. But the leg was just loosely holding up the table.
Their Rabbi had a habit of banging his hand hard on the table whenever my Dad or his buddy, Willie, would make a mistake. This day things went wrong. While they were chanting the service, the Rabbi slammed his fist on the table in anger. On this day the table and all the books fell to the floor. The table was broken. The Rabbi thought his angry slam caused the table to break. He apologized and sent them home.
Dad loved to tell this story.
The tallit he is wearing in this photo was in his night table drawer. I found it after he died. There was a second, larger tallit made of the same material in the drawer as well. My siblings and I think he got the second one when he and Mom got married. It is traditional to get a tallit at your wedding. In fact, some men do not wear a tallit to synagogue, even after their bar mitzvah, unless they are married…or going up for an Aliyah.
Dad had a third tallit; the one my Mom purchased for him when he became president of his synagogue. Dad had been using a shul tallit for years, as his two were worn and really not useable. The new tallit was lovely. My Mom selected not only the tallit, but also a velvet bag and a lovely silver tallit clip with in the form of the word, Shaddai, on either side. Dad wore this tallit every time he went to services.
When we planned his funeral, we brought all three tallisim to the funeral home for them to bury with him. The consultant who was with us throughout this difficult time advised us to keep the newest tallit. “Bury the older ones with him,” he said. “But keep this one. It is so beautiful. Isn’t there someone who needs a tallit? Or use it for his grandchildren’s weddings.”
We listened. I do not think any of us really wanted to bury it, so we kept that tallit. My siblings agreed that my son could have this tallit. We also agreed that it would be used for all the grandchildren’s weddings.
The first wedding was my daughter’s two years ago. During the ceremony the tallit sat under the huppah with them. That evening for the first night of Sheva Brachot, seven blessings, they wrapped the tallit around them while the rabbi chanted the blessings.
My father’s tallit is the huppah at my niece’s wedding.
It will be used again in June, when my niece marries. She chose the date of my parent’s wedding anniversary for her wedding date. My parents got married on Father’s Day in 1951. My niece will marry on Father’s Day 2018. And my Dad’s tallit, purchase with love by Mom, will serve as their huppah.
zicharonot 
Beautiful story. At our daughter’s wedding, my father-in-law’s tallit covered the chuppa. My daughter reached for it during the ceremony to include her grandfather.
It brings an extra layer of love.