Bar and Bat Mitzvah
and ceremonies mark the transition into adulthood for young Jews. At age 13 a boy becomes Bar Mitzvah and at age 13 a girl becomes a Bat Mitzvah.
After these ceremonies Jewish boys or girls become responsible for living according to . At this point, each young person has to accept the law and its obligations, participate fully in services at the and set a good example for others. After the ceremony, a Jewish boy can be counted as part of a , and in synagogues girls who are Bat Mitzvah can also be counted.
Bar Mitzvah ceremony
A Bar Mitzvah happens around a boy’s 13th birthday and is part of a service in the synagogue. The boy, who has prepared for the ceremony by spending a lot of time studying it, reads from the . The boy puts on the for the first time.
The gives a talk, speaking to both the boy and his family and to the rest of the community. The boy might also give a talk to the people gathered.
It is traditional for the boy’s father to recite a prayer of thanks to God for bringing his son to maturity. The boy receives gifts and there is a celebratory meal.
Bat Mitzvah ceremony
The Bat Mitzvah is only practised by Reform and Liberal Jewish communities. The ceremony follows a similar pattern to the Bar Mitzvah and happens around a girl’s 12th birthday.
During her Bat Mitzvah, a girl may read from the Torah or she may instead read a prayer from the . Traditionally, within Judaism, males and females are not thought to have the same responsibilities. As a result, in some Jewish communities, some rules (such as the requirement to read from the Torah) are less strict for girls than they are for boys.
Bat Chayil
means ‘daughter of valour’. It is an Jewish ceremony for girls. The ceremony takes place close to the girl’s 12th birthday in the synagogue, but not as part of services.
During the Bat Chayall service the girl will speak about a topic relating to Judaism, but she will not lead prayers or read from the Torah.
Orthodox Jews see women and men as having different roles and responsibilities. Women do not take an active part in the synagogue services, but have a very important role to play in worship that takes place in the home. Bat Chayil marks a girl’s passage into an adult role in her religious community. After the ceremony, she is expected to observe Jewish religious rules for women, and to spend time learning how to keep a good home.
