By Ozzie Hollander ’26
Ezzy Smith ’26 set out to achieve something few high school students, and even few adults, ever attempt.
On Simchat Torah of 2025, he completed the laining of the entire Torah, a goal he had been working toward for years. What started as a challenge after his bar mitzvah became a journey of dedication and problem solving.
Inspired by his sister while she prepared to read Sefer Kohelet for her bat mitzvah, Smith asked his father to teach him how to lain. He started learning in first grade, laying the foundation for his accomplishment.
“After my bar mitzvah, my dad asked me when the next time I was going to lain [would be],” Smith explained. “I realized he would keep asking me that question, so I decided to set a goal of laining the entire Torah. I also thought it would be a good challenge.”
The process was not without setbacks. One of the biggest ones came the year before he planned to finish, when a family trip to Israel conflicted with a parashah he had not yet lained. Smith was debating about whether he should even attend the trip, but his parents helped him find a solution. His mother contacted someone in Israel who reached out to gabbaiim across Jerusalem. Soon, Smith received offers to lain at different minyanim. He ultimately read at the Nitzanim Young Professionals minyan, allowing him to stay on track while still going on the trip. He even returned there to lain again over winter break.
Despite achieving such a major milestone, Smith is already looking ahead. “I think my next goal is to continue to lain,” he said, “but hopefully make [fewer] mistakes.”
He celebrated his accomplishment with friends and family. “I smoked a brisket and invited some friends for a barbeque on Simchat Torah,” he said.
Smith’s laining journey began long before high school. While he considers his laining career to have really started a few weeks after his bar mitzvah, he began learning much earlier.
Smith hopes his experience inspires other students. “I hope more high schoolers will do this,” he said. “It’s a hard challenge, but I learned a lot and think it was a good experience.”
