The greatest gift that a boy reaching Bar Mitzva (or girl reaching Bas Mitzva) receives is Daas – the ability to overcome a natural emotion (the ‘Regesh*’) by focusing on a wider perspective.
For example, overcoming the feeling of depression by focussing on one’s positive attributes. Using the example of a Bar Mitzva Party, the Rav Beryl Gershenfeld explains that a Bar Mitzva boy can always tell his best friend according to who gave him the best gift…
In this case, the Bar Mitzva boy receives his greatest gift from HaShem – Daas!
The reason why Daas is the greatest gift is because even if someone was to give you $1 million, without Daas you would only spend it on things that your base instincts wanted at that moment. Or, someone without Daas who receives a Porsche will most likely end up in hospital or under arrest for reckless driving! Daas allows us to gain the most out of life by focussing on the right things. It allows us to appreciate and use all of our resources in the right way. HaShem, who loves us the most and can give us anything chose to give a Bar Mitzva boy the gift of turning him from katan into a gadol – the difference between the two is Daas, because this is the greatest gift , for as it says in the Gemora ‘Anyone who has Daas is like someone who has EVERYTHING’ (Nedarim 51)
*see Rav Wolbe: ‘Pirkei Kinyon Daas’
