bar mitzvah

A guide for bar/bat mitzvah guests and other newcomers to Sabbath worship.

Tips for picking the right present for this Jewish rite of passage.

Traditionally, the father recited one blessing during the service, but today, parents are often much more involved.

The initial impetus for adult bar/bat mitzvah came from men who, having missed the ceremony as adolescents, felt somehow incomplete as Jews.

The bat mitzvah ceremony is of relatively recent vintage, with the first American observance in 1922.

An overview of this Jewish rite of passage for 12- and 13-year-olds.

Originally bar mitzvah meant simply "coming of age." The ceremony developed much later.

What to expect and how to behave at a bar/bat mitzvah service.

Parents, educators, rabbis and student must work as a team to adjust the ceremony to the student's learning style and capabilities.

The bar mitzvah (and even more so the bat mitzvah) is a relatively new phenomena.