The short Haftarah – Ki Tetzei
In some synagogues this is a highly prized Shabbat for Bar-Mitzvahs – not because of the content of the sidra but because the haftarah is so short.
Boys who are learning maftir and haftarah sometimes find it hard going and are relieved to have a short haftarah. Some teachers call this the “Brief Bar-Mitzvah”, though it ought to be the other way round – the “Bar-Mitzvah Brief”.
A barrister calls the case material “his brief”, and the brief of a Bar-Mitzvah boy ought to be to undertake a lifetime program of study and practice of the commandments.
It’s not that every boy can carry the whole load at once, but he can make a start.
