My son had his Bar Mitzvah in the BTYA Vasikin Minyon, The Rav used to come every Shabbos morning to the minyon, arriving about 35 seconds before sunrise, and leaving as the chazan was saying oseh shalom bimromav…”. But today, due to the Bar Mitzvah, the Rav stayed to hear my son lein. However, he made it clear at the beginning “If you already have someone for an aliyah, you don’t have to give me one.”

I timidly said that I had planned to give myself the levi aliyah, and that was perfectly acceptable to the Rav. I had my son call me up, and then he leined beautifully. But after the “after brochos”, there was no one to give me a “mi shebeirach.” Only I gave them in this minyon, and no one else was prepared to do so.

I was about to forego my “mi shebeirach” and call up the third person for an aliyah when the Rav quickly stepped in, picked up the Artscroll Gabbai book, and read out a “mi shebeirach” for me, and then another which included my son and family.

While I appreciated the words in the “mi shebeirach“, I can’t begin to describe how special I felt that the Rav of our kehilla was the one who gave me this brocho.