Bat + Bar mitzvah

• Bar Mitzvah


  Literally: son of the commandment. A Jewish ceremony for a 13-year-old boy, which marks his becoming a full adult member of the Jewish community
• Bat Mitzvah


  Literally: daughter of the commandment. Liberal Jewish coming of age ceremony for 12 year-old girls
• Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies are significant because they are seen as the time of coming of age, when a child becomes an adult
• After these ceremonies Jewish boys or girls become responsible for living according to Jewish Law
• At this point, each young person has to accept the law and its obligations, participate fully in services at the synagogue and set a good example for others
• After the Bar Mitzvah ceremony, a Jewish boy can be counted as part of a minyan
• In Reform synagogues girls who are Bat Mitzvah can also be counted
• Bar Mitzvah ceremony


  1. Boy reads from the Torah

  2. Boy puts on the tefillin for the first time

  3. Rabbi gives a talk

  4. Boy may give a talk

  5. Boy's father recites a prayer of thanks

  6. Boy receives gifts

  7. Celebratory meal
• Bat Mitzvah ceremony


  1. Girl may read from the Torah or read a prayer from the Siddur

  2. Follows a similar pattern to the Bar Mitzvah
• 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


  A Jewish initiation ceremony for girls in Orthodox communities that takes place at the age of 12
• Bat Chayil marks a girl's passage into an adult role in her religious community
• After the Bat Chayil ceremony, she is expected to observe Jewish religious rules for women, and to spend time learning how to keep a good home
• Around 13 years old