BAR/BAT MITZVAH
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Process
Criteria for Bar/Bat Mitzvah at TCS
History & Customs
Mitzvah Projects
Torah Blessings
Additional B'nai Mitzvot Resources
Open Letter to Bar/Bat Mitzvah Students
from the Clergy
Dear Bar/Bat Mitzvah Students & Parents:
The tradition of Bar and Bat Mitzvah, by which we celebrate your passage into the Jewish religious and ethical responsibilities of adulthood, is one of the most enriching experiences you will ever have. The Bar and Bat Mitzvah service marks the occasion when you begin the process of becoming an adult. Along with your family, friends and extended family here at The Community Synagogue, we celebrate your official entrance into the "adult" Jewish community.
We believe that Judaism is a way of life and a religious heritage worthy of serious adult understanding. Therefore, the learning, experiences, and identification that we ask of you are designed to lead you to mature linkages with our people and our faith. Participation as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is one important step along that road. It is, of course, not the only step.
Our Congregation firmly believes that Jewish education is a life-long journey. We encourage all our students to continue their Jewish education by participation in our popular Havurat Noar and Confirmation programs. The Community Synagogue also offers adult education to inform, challenge and inspire you all the years of your life.
As you become an adult member of the Jewish community, we look forward to you joining with us in our people's journey. May this new chapter of your life be fulfilling, rewarding and enlightening.
Shalom,
Rabbi Irwin Zeplowitz, Rabbi Danny Burkeman, Cantor Claire Franco
For additional information, please contact us at 516-883-3144 ext 328.
B’nai Mitzvah History & Customs
The term Bar or Bat Mitzvah (literally, "son or daughter of the commandments") is a title given to all Jews reaching their 13th birthday to signify that they are now prepared to take personal responsibility for their own religious actions and moral behavior through performing the mitzvot (commandments). It is equivalent to reaching the age of legal majority. No ritual is necessary to establish this status.
Listing the stages in a Jew's life, the Mishnah (Avot 5.21) tells us that "thirteen is for Mitzvah." That is to say, traditional Jewish law holds that it becomes incumbent upon a thirteen-year-old male to fulfill the 613 commandments. From this time unto the day of his death, the Jewish male is a Bar Mitzvah, a "son of the commandment." Additionally, in Reform tradition, a young woman becomes a Bat Mitzvah, a "daughter of the commandment," at 13 years of age. According to Jewish tradition, each Jewish adult is tied to the moral and ritual laws of Judaism as a child is tied to his parents.
Sometime during the 4th century, it became the custom to mark this stage of life by permitting the young man to be one of eight adult males privileged to make ascent (aliyah) to the reading desk on the Bimah on a given Shabbat soon after his thirteenth birthday. He would read some verses of the Torah scroll. Blessings thanking God for the Torah were recited before and after the reading of those verses.
By the 16th century, it became custom to follow this first public ritual appearance with a party sponsored by the Bar Mitzvah's family. This was held in the synagogue or at the family home on the Shabbat during which the young person ascended to the Torah. The very next morning, the Bar Mitzvah resumed his seat in his Talmud class in the community religious school, where he continued to study.
Over the past few centuries, the Bar and Bat Mitzvah Service has emerged as a wonderful way for a 13-year-old to demonstrate a commitment to Judaism. Before their congregation, family and friends, the young person accepts the privilege of reading from the Torah (Five Books of Moses) and Haftarah (Books of the Prophets), and leading worship. In this way, the congregation says to the 13-year-old: you are now a participating adult in our religious community. Thus the Bar or Bat Mitzvah service bears witness to the future and continuity of a Judaism embodied in a new generation of committed Jews. For these reasons, the beginning of a young person's transition from childhood to responsible Jewish adulthood is a time of celebration.
At The Community Synagogue we continue this age-old tradition of marking a young Jew's passage into adult Jewish responsibility through the celebration of Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Such privilege is available only to students who have been enrolled in our Religious School for the equivalent of at least four full years. Candidates must also be enrolled and attending our Religious School at the time during which they become Bar or Bat Mitzvah. For older students who transfer to our School, prior participation in an equivalent program of Jewish study is acceptable.
The Bar or Bat Mitzvah occurs as part of our Shabbat morning service. The student leads the congregation in Hebrew and English passages from the siddur (prayerbook). Each Bar or Bat Mitzvah also reads or chants from the Torah, a hand-lettered parchment scroll which contains the Five Books of Moses. The student chooses a section of the weekly portion and explains it to the congregation, demonstrating his or her understanding of the text. The blessings before and after the reading are shared by family and friends.
After the Torah is read, the young person reads a passage taken from one of the prophetic books of the Bible. This selection is known as the Haftarah (completion) and contains either a thematic reference to the Torah reading or a reference to an event in the Jewish year. In addition, our Bar or Bat Mitzvah prepares and delivers a D'var Torah, literally a "word of Torah" or short sermon based on lessons from the Scriptural reading.
Other participants, including members of the congregational family, are honored with roles in the Torah service. Parents offer prayers of thanks and expressions of joy and pride.
The Community Synagogue is very proud of our B'nai Mitzvah students and of the commitment to Jewish life and learning that they make on Shabbat through this wonderful Jewish tradition.
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Criteria for Bar/Bat Mitzvah at TCS
1. Your family is a member-in-good standing of The Community Synagogue.
2. The student is enrolled in The Community Synagogue Religious School.
3. The student will have completed four years of religious education prior to the date of Bar and Bat Mitzvah.
4. The student will be at least 13 years old according to the Hebrew or secular calendar at the date of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah.
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The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Process
The rabbi who will officiate at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah meets with the parents and Bar/Bat Mitzvah student about six months before the ceremony. The rabbis also meet with candidates during their final preparation in the 2 to 3 months leading up to the Shabbat Service in which the family will participate. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah student will meet with Cantor Claire Franco on an ongoing basis, as well as an assigned tutor, to work on Hebrew, chanting and preparing for the service. The tutor and the Cantor work with the student until all of the prayers, Torah and Haftarah portions are understood with fluency.
The individual B'nai Mitzvah educational process is supplemental to Religious School studies. Each student must remain a student in good standing in our Religious School program. In addition, families are required to attend a series of weekly clergy-led Torah Study sessions prior to their celebration of Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
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Mitzvah Projects
Judaism teaches us that when a joyful or celebratory experience occurs, one way we show our thankfulness is by giving to or doing for others. The four-prong Mitzvah program is designed to help the Bar/Bat Mitzvah learn the importance of Jewish commitment. The Mitzvah program includes completing one option in four areas: T’fillah (Study), Avodah (Prayer/Ceremony/Ritual), G’milut Chasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness) and Tz’daka (Righteous Giving). Our hope is by participating in these acts students will have a greater sense of God's presence in their lives.
For more information on how to choose a Mitzvah Project, please click here.
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Additional B'nai Mitzvah Resources
How Parents Can Help
Aliyah Guidelines
D'Var Torah Guidelines
Personal Prayers
Honors Form
Rehearsal Information
Ushering Guidelines
The Shehecheyanu
Tallit Blessing
Donation Information
Mitzvah Project
Parent Checklist
Oneg Shabbat Guide
Celebrations at TCS Booklet
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