Bar & Bat Mitzvah
A child reaches the age of Jewish ‘adulthood’ (or at least personal responsibility) at 13 for a boy and 12 or 13 for a girl depending on the community. This is known as reaching the age of Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah – Son/Daughter of the Commandments, as from that age they are considered responsible for making their own choices in following the path of Jewish tradition and law.
This is usually marked for boys, as well as girls in MasortiAn ideology within Judaism (see ‘Groups within Judaism’ page for more details)., ReformAn ideology within Judaism (see ‘Groups within Judaism page for more details). and LiberalAn ideology within Judaism (see ‘Groups within Judaism page for more details). communities by lots of learning and preparation leading up to them reading a section of the Torah in public for the first time. Girls in Orthodox communities, do not read publicly from the Torah, but often study and work hard in order to deliver a ‘Davar Torah’ – a presentation on that week’s Torah chapter or another Jewish topic that is of interest to them.
Many families also choose to have a special family meal or a party to celebrate. Another modern way of marking the occasion is to do some fundraising or volunteering for a charity of the boy or girl’s choice.
AUDIO: “My Bar Mitzvah was just over 6 months ago. It was a weekend that I will never forget. The preparation actually started a year before that as I had lots of extra Jewish studies lessons as well as learning how to read from the Torah scroll. The HebrewThe language of the Jewish people and of Israel. Hebrew is also used more generally to mean the culture of the Jewish people (ie. Hebrew calendar). in the Torah doesn’t have vowels or punctuation, AND there is a tune that we sing it with, so it took many months to make sure that the chapter I read was correct.
The week of my Jewish birthday, I was called up in synagogue on Shabbat morning and read the whole chapter in front of all my friends, family and community. I was nervous but they all cheered me on! On Shabbat my parents made me a fantastic celebration with lovely food and games. The whole experience made me feel special and made me realise that I am considered to be an adult in my culture now. I learnt a lot about my religion and how to be a good member of the community. It made me proud to be a Jew.”
– Zachary (Year 9), Glasgow
