Organising and celebrating a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Chayil
- At the age of thirteen, a Jewish boy becomes a Bar Mitzvah which means Son Of The Commandments. In Jewish terms, at this age boys become adults in respect of being obligated to live a Jewish life and thereby accept an additional set of responsibilities. This is why it is traditional to celebrate this milestone by a boy participating in a service in a way which reflects this new stage in his life.
- Our Bar Mitzvah programme runs as a part of our Cheder, where boys reaching Bar Mitzvah age are taught all they need to know to lead Jewish lives, and to complete their Bar Mitzvah ceremony.
- On the Shabbat of the main Bar Mitzvah ceremony, the boy will receive a call up to the Torah where he will read:
1. A portion, if not all, of the Sedra (the Torah reading for that week from the Pentateuch).
2. The Maftir (an extra piece following the Sedra).
3. The Haftarah (a reading from the Prophets, a later part of the Hebrew Bible, connected to a theme in the Sedra).
- A Bar Mitzvah provides a great opportunity for a family and their community to celebrate together, with fantastic community spirit. It also provides a gateway for boys into the youth programming that many communities offer for teens to grow their Jewish experiences and social circle.
- As befits this rite of passage, it is traditional to have a festive meal to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah. This could range from a special Kiddush, to a meal at home or at shul on Shabbat, or another form of party.
- At the age of twelve, a Jewish girl becomes a Bat Chayil which means Daughter Of Valour. At this age a girl becomes a Jewish woman, and thereby accepts an additional set of responsibilities.
- Our Bat Chayil programme runs as a part of our Cheder, where girls reaching Bat Chayil age are taught about some of the obligations they will take on once they reach twelve, such as Shabbat, Kashrut (laws of kosher food) and laws about showing kindness to others.
- Bat Chayil ceremonies take place after the Shabbat service, or on a Sunday. At this ceremony the girl or girls will research and prepare a Devar Torah, a short speech in which she presents ideas about Jewish life and study.
- This is a gateway to the advanced Jewish studies options now available to her and the opportunities she has to be involved in Jewish experiences and social networks after her Bat Chayil.
- A Bat Chayil provides a great opportunity for a family and community to celebrate together, with fantastic community spirit. It also provide a gateway for girls into the youth programming that many communities offer for teens to continue to grow their Jewish experiences and social circle.
- As befits this rite of passage, it is traditional to have a festive meal to celebrate a Bat Chayil. This could range from a special Kiddush, to a meal at home or at the synagogue on Shabbat, or another form of party.