About Bar / Bat Mitzvah Celebration

In rabbinic texts, the distinction between childhood and young adulthood is the birth of the yetzer hatov, the good inclination.

Although not associated with puberty, this rite represents a spiritual "coming of age" for adult Jews.

The bar mitzvah ceremony is medieval, but a bar mitzvah blessing appears nearly a millenium earlier.

A family educator offers words of advice to the family.

The terms

Reaching the age of majority was not always a requirement for commandments such as being called up to the Torah.

How Old is Old Enough?

Age and its significance, terminology, parents' blessing, parent-child dynamics, and motivations for adult bar/bat mitzvah.