The meaning of bar/bat/b’nai mitzvah is son/daughter/child of the commandment, one who is responsible for the performance of mitzvot. It is a mitzvah to be called to the reading of the Torah and takes place for the first time when a child reaches the age of thirteen. It is usually celebrated at a Shabbat morning service. In our congregation, a child is expected to have fulfilled four years of Hebrew study or its equivalent before celebrating a bar/bat/b’nai mitzvah. The Clergy team prepares and trains your child for the ceremony.
In the middle of your child’s fourth-grade year, you will receive a letter with an application to set a date for the celebration, which usually take–s place close to their thirteenth birthday. You may also click here to fill out the application.
Each bar/bat/b’nai mitzvah is encouraged to lead the service, chant a portion from Torah and Haftarah, prepare a personal prayer and a devar Torah, and complete a Mitzvah project.
Members of the family are encouraged to lead the candle lighting kiddush at the Friday evening service, the Shabbat of the b’nai mitzvah. Parents are also invited to offer their own prayer on behalf of their child.
The congregation will welcome your entire family and your friends at the Shabbat evening service and the oneg Shabbat which sometimes follows. The celebrating family may wish to enhance and share their joy by sponsoring the oneg Shabbat, the pulpit flowers or the bimah basket. If you or a member of your family desires information about such sponsorship, please contact the executive director.
Please contact the executive director as early as possible for information about the use of the synagogue for a luncheon, dinner or reception following the service. B’nai mitzvah are an exciting occasion for celebration, and lavish parties are not expected.
as early as possible for information about the use of the synagogue for a luncheon, dinner or reception following the service and about the form for your invitations. We urge all families to emphasize the primary importance of the religious service and to avoid overly lavish receptions or luncheons which may overshadow the significance of religious commitment in the eyes of the child.
The ceremony of Kabbalat Torah (literally: receiving the Torah) has profound Jewish significance. It occurs on or near the festival of Shavuot which Jewish tradition understands as the anniversary of the revelation at Mt. Sinai, and therefore becomes a meaningful way for teens to accept the Torah themselves. Born out of the creative impulse which is characteristic of Reform Judaism, Kabbalat Torah provides an opportunity for young people (generally at the conclusion of the tenth grade) to make public affirmation of their commitment to Judaism. Kabbalat Torah calls upon the Jewish student to begin the life-long task of struggling with Jewish thought, Jewish faith and the privilege of shaping Jewish destiny. At their Kabbalat Torah service, members of the Kabbalat Torah class speak to the congregation of their own thoughts and feelings. Kabbalat Torah does not mark the end of one’s Jewish education; its purpose is to encourage continued intellectual and spiritual growth and nurture students’ desires for ongoing Jewish learning.