Bar/Bat Mitzvah

This is a special moment in the life of your family, and we are delighted to share it with you. Our B’Mitzvah students work very diligently to lead our congregation in a Shabbat morning service, read from the Torah and deliver a d’var Torah (teaching a lesson from their Torah portion). Becoming a B’Mitzvah is a rite of passage that happens for all Jews at the age of thirteen. B’Mitzvah means “child of the commandments,” and signifies the acceptance of the responsibilities and privileges of Jewish adulthood; such as leading community prayer, reading from the Torah, being counted in the minyan, (prayer community), and engaging in g’milut chasadim, (acts of loving kindness). The B’Mitzvah ceremony at Sukkat Shalom celebrates this milestone in a child’s life. We are excited to get to know your child and family through this process, to challenge our B’Mitzvah students to explore their Jewish identity, and build community through the B’Mitzvah process.

Becoming a B’Mitzvah is not the culmination of one’s learning, rather a milestone signifying that a student is prepared to continue their Jewish educational journey. Once your child’s B’Mitzvah ceremony has been completed, there are numerous opportunities for them to take on the responsibility they have inherited-- these include participation in our 8th grade Family School class, working in the madrichim program (teacher’s aide) in Family School or Hebrew School, and participation in our regular high school social gatherings. Our goal is to instill positive Jewish identity in our students and to enable them to navigate our complex world through the lens of their Jewish values.