You are incredible people at an extraordinary time in your lives, and you don't always get enough credit. Every single day you are trying to maneuver introspectively through challenging social, spiritual and moral situations. You are balancing self-respect with peer pressure, individuality with group dynamics. Every day you are learning new relationship rules. Your friendships are often tested, and you are wrestling with giant things like meaning, purpose, existentialism, love...things that philosophers, poets, artists and scholars spend their lives trying to tackle. You are also trying to understand very difficult things that don't get much easier, like gender-stereotyping, loneliness and stress. A major change from what I may have experienced as a teenager is that I faced it all without having to deal with MySpace, IMs, texting and micro-blogging. A note passed in the classroom was seen by one or two people, unlike what you deal with when someone posts something on their Facebook wall. I admire you for learning to navigate rapidly expanding technologies while also working through schoolwork and constantly interpreting and reinterpreting your relationships with family and friends. You really don't get enough credit.
More and more we see in the news stories of teenagers bullying or being bullied, and the pain and tragedy that results. On top of that, such shows like "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and "Gossip Girl" are filled with harmful messages. It is clearer now more than ever that the culture at large has not been a great friend to helping teenagers to be healthy and happy. Did you know teenagers who live in countries without television have virtually no eating disorders? You are faced with a barrage of impossible so-called ideals. How can you be expected to make wise decisions when we are so deeply immersed in a culture of materialism, hypocrisy of power, and idolatry of status?
But here's the thing. You are the kings and queens of counterculture. Teenagers invented counterculture. Amidst all the changes in and around you, you are generating the most fantastical and passion-filled ideas. You are powerful thinkers and creators. I would argue that if it wasn't for the zealous passion of visionary teenagers, Israel would never have been founded. We talk of Hebrew as an ancient language, and yes, it is the language of our Biblical ancestors, but it was teenage pioneers from all over Europe who revived it while they drained the swamps in the north and made the desert bloom in the south. Think about that, what you are experiencing right now, if channeled correctly, can be a movement that changes history.
Your ideas, while often outrageous, are exactly what the world needs to hear. And just like the people loathed to listen to the prophets, often people don't listen to you. Teenagers really don't get enough credit!
But here's the other thing...Judaism is the ultimate counterculture. Judaism emphasizes that we are not animals with impulses that can't be controlled. Judaism acknowledges the complexity of humanity, while teaching that there is a purpose for everything. Judaism teaches that you are made in the image of God no matter who you are or what you believe, that your body is a gift and your soul is good and purposeful, and that your heart and your mind matter. Your ideas count. In fact, at thirteen, you are already a full member of the community.
I want to remind you that the temple is a second home to you. It does not stop being your home because you had a bar or bat mitzvah, or finished confirmation. You are not judged here. You are honored for exactly who you are.
Last year I asked a small group of you what it is that you wish the temple could provide for you, and I was surprised with your answer. You didn't say that you were looking for a social scene or a place to hang out. You said you wanted to meditate and to worship. We open our sanctuary doors to you. Here is the ultimate countercultural experience.
Teenagers, you are the philosophers of the world. Good luck on your final exams this month, and when times are tough, please don't keep it all inside. Talk to the people you trust, and remember the synagogue as a second home.
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