In his D’Var Torah speech at his recent bar mitzvah, Sam Paster of Swampscott discussed the affinity he feels with Moses, the leader of the Jewish people.

“Moses had a speaking problem, like me,” said Sam, who stutters. “He was scared to talk to people because he didn’t think anyone would listen to him.”

Sam uses a wheelchair to ambulate. The fact that he is alive is in itself a miracle. He was born prematurely, weighing just two pounds and measuring a mere 13 inches, and has cerebral palsy. He depends on assistance for his personal care needs and interaction with his surroundings. While his mind is very sharp, he suffers from fine and gross motor impairments and has some cognitive learning disabilities.

Despite the considerable obstacles he deals with daily, Sam was determined to have a bar mitzvah when he turned 13. His parents, Hilory and Glenn, were initially dubious. They encouraged him to consider a small, private ceremony in the rabbi’s study, but Sam insisted that he wanted to read Torah from the bimah of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead.

“Frankly, we were concerned. We didn’t want to see him fail,” said his father, Glenn Paster, director of marketing at Seaport Credit Union.

“We wondered: What can he accomplish, and how can we help him achieve his goals and fulfill his dreams?” said Hilory Paster, a math specialist who teaches in Brookline.

They discussed their trepidations with the rabbis and staff at Temple Emanu-El, who pledged their commitment to manifesting Sam’s dream.

For many months the youth diligently studied with a tutor, practicing his lessons for hours at the dinner table.

On January 16, under the guidance of Rabbi Debra Kassoff, Sam Paster triumphantly led the Reform congregation in worship from his wheelchair. According to his mother, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

“He far surpassed our expectations,” said Hilory, beaming with pride.

“He had it down cold. And he didn’t stutter at all when reading the Hebrew — he was absolutely fluid,” said Glenn.

The Pasters say Sam was always drawn to Judaism, and loved attending Hebrew School first at Chabad, and later at Temple Emanu-El. His faith intensified at Camp Ramah, an overnight Jewish camp in Palmer that has an innovative inclusion program for children with special needs.

The Pasters struggled with how to best help Sam reach his goal.

“We did try to downplay it so he wouldn’t be nervous or worried. We told him that he had already accomplished so much because of how hard he studied.

“We realized that anything could happen. We purposely had an intimate affair and only invited about 50 people — all of whom had a personal relationship with Sam and would be there to support and encircle him with love,” said Hilory.

The service began and Sam became overwhelmed with the emotion of the day.

“But Rabbi Kassoff was amazing. She nurtured him like a mother — taking him out of his panic, calming him down, and focusing him so he could move forward,” Hilory said.

Sam, his father and his uncle read Torah, and his mother presented the Haftorah. The experience was emotional for the entire family. “This demonstrated to Sam the ‘Circle of Love’ and ‘Passing Down of the Torah”, Hilory stated.

“I got choked up when reading the Haftorah. Sam said, ‘Do you want me to do it for you?’” Hilory recalled.

Hilory had prepared a speech, but Sam began crying after she read the first paragraph.

“I realized that my speech didn’t matter. I put it away,” said Hilory, who later shared it privately with her son.

The temple made accommodations to the bimah so Sam could comfortably lead the service from his wheelchair. Kassoff remained seated with Sam through much of the service, instructing worshippers that they could “rise in body or spirit.”

Rabbi David Meyer pointed out that nearly a decade ago, the temple embarked on a project “to assure that every part of our building — the school, the public areas, and the sanctuary, would be fully accessible and a house of prayer for all people.  

“Over the years our temple and teaching staff worked with Sam and his family to make certain that there would be no obstacles to his learning and his full participation in Jewish life here at Emanu-El,” Meyer said.

The Pasters acknowledge that raising a child with disabilities is a challenge — in and out of the temple. “Everything is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of planning and is twice as expensive,” Glenn said.

“But we learn so much seeing the world from Sam’s point of view,” Hilory said.

She shares a teaching from her former rabbi, Earl Kideckel, who came to see Sam when he was an infant. He said, “Don’t worry about this child. He has been blessed by God and has a mission.”

Hilory believes Sam’s purpose is to be a guiding spirit and educator about a world few understand.

They try not to let the wheelchair prevent Sam from having a full life. In the winter, the entire family (Sam, his parents, and his nine-year-old twin brothers Russell and Frederic) ski at Loon Mountain, taking full advantage of an adaptive program for children with disabilities. (New England Disabled Sports). In the summer they go sailing and to the beach. Sam plays baseball and soccer, does wall climbing, and spends hours on the computer emailing his friends.

Over the years, Kassoff has grown quite fond of Sam.

“He has a smile for everyone who greets him, and he presents a quiet sweetness to the world that belies his determination and strength,” said Kassoff, praising “his beautiful neshamah — his remarkable soul.”

She points out that he seems simultaneously ordinary (annoyed by his younger brothers, a teenager with a teenager’s sense of humor and affinity for video games) and extraordinary (a deep thinker [who is] sensitive and persistent.)