The celebration of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah may be thought of in many ways. It is a time of great joy, yet tinged with more than a little anxiety as one makes list after list of all the things that need to be done. It connects us to the Jewish past, but is also a gateway to a child’s future. It focuses on an individual youngster, but is given its fullest expression in the context of community. It may even be a time of ambivalence – a sense of pride in a child’s emergent self as a Jewish adult, yet tempered with the regret that s/he can’t stay little just a while longer.
One can describe the process of becoming a Jewish adult in these and countless other terms. However we view this momentous event, it is above all a joyful rite of passage, a simha in the deepest sense of the word.
The attached files can assist you in preparing for this special occasion by promoting awareness of synagogue policies, practices and prerequisites.
