What Happens at a Bar or Bat Mitzvah

The Bar or Bat Mitzvah participates in our Shabbat morning service, reads from the Torah (the Five Books of Moses) and the Prophets, and demonstrates how the ancient texts apply to our lives today.

It is our custom for all men and boys, and women if they choose, to cover their heads with a kippah (Hebrew) or yarmulke (Yiddish), as a sign of reverence to God. Jewish men, and Jewish women who choose to, wear the tallit or prayer shawl as a reminder to observe the mitzvot or commandments. Kippot and tallitot are available.

Please feel free to join in any part of the service when the congregation is asked to participate. The Shabbat morning service begins with introductory blessings, hymns, and selections from the Psalms.

The second portion of the service, the Sh'ma, consists of biblical passages from Deuteronomy and Numbers, preceded by blessings for creation, love, and learning, and followed by a blessing of acknowledgment and gratitude for the redemption from Egypt. This part of the service contains the sentence beginning with the word "Sh'ma," the principal declaration of the Jewish faith in one God.

The third portion of the service is the Amidah, the central blessings of the morning service. The Amidah acknowledges our connection to the past, the might and the holiness of God, the nature of Shabbat, our gratitude for everyday miracles, and petitions for peace and for the acceptance of our worship. The Amidah, recited while standing, begins in unison, and the remainder is recited silently. Worshippers are seated as they finish. This is the place in the service to add personal prayers.

The service continues with the Torah service, beginning with responses that precede the taking of the Torah from the Holy Ark. The Torah is covered with a decorative mantle and has a silver pointer for reading and ornaments on each handle. The Torah scroll is handwritten by a scribe, using special quills and ink on sheets of parchment. The sheets of parchment are then sewn together to make a continuous scroll. The scroll is the holiest of Jewish objects found in the synagogue and is kept in the Holy Ark when not in use. We rise and face the Ark when it is opened as a way to honor the Torah.

The Bar or Bat Mitzvah begins his or her public participation with the Torah service. As the Torah is carried through the congregation, we all turn to follow the scroll. Jewish congregants may touch the Torah mantle with their prayer books or the corners of their tallitot and then touch these objects to their lips. This custom is an expression of devotion and reverence. The Torah service also provides an opportunity for relatives and some members of the congregation to participate in this special occasion. These honors include opening and closing the Ark, special blessings before and after each section of the Torah reading, and the lifting and dressing of the Torah.

Reading from the Torah scroll is the most sacred part of the service. The Torah is divided into weekly portions that are read in a yearly cycle starting in the fall. All of the world’s Jewish congregations read the same portion, called a parasha, on the same day. The parasha is divided into seven sections, to give members of the congregation the honor, called an aliyah, of coming up to recite the Torah blessings, which are said before and after each section.

A weekly extra aliyah, called the Maftir, is reserved for the person who chants the blessings and the Maftir, which repeats the last verses of the Torah reading, and who chants the blessings and the Haftara ("the additional reading" from the Prophets). The Bar or Bat Mitzvah receives this honor. Following the Maftir, the Torah is dressed. The Bar or Bat Mitzvah then chants a relevant selection from the Prophets.

When the Bar or Bat Mitzvah reads from the Torah and the Prophets, it is a public statement of his or her bond and commitment to his or her faith and heritage. After the Torah is returned to the Ark, the Bar or Bat Mitzvah gives a short talk relevant to the day’s scriptural readings.

The service closes with concluding prayers and hymns, including the Mourner’s Kaddish, to remember those loved ones who are no longer with us, but who remain a living memory in our lives. The service concludes with the traditional greeting of "Shabbat Shalom," wishing you Sabbath peace. After the service, we recite the Kiddush and the HaMotzi, the traditional blessings over the wine and the bread.
 

Back to Congregation Beth Shalom, DeKalb/Sycamore bethshalomdekalb.org