I came to realize in that moment that prayer transcends the religious boundaries and that whatever my definition of my Judaism was, that was okay.

It was entrancing and intoxicating, the most hope I had ever witnessed, and in that moment I felt totally connected to all Jews across the world and across time. 

Today was a very significant day in my life. Today was the day that in the eyes of the those of the Jewish faith would see me as a man. Today was the day that I had my Bar Mitzvah, and at the age of 21, when this was my choice and my choice alone, not force by parents or expectations, it made it all the more powerful to me.