Bar (בַּר‎) is a Jewish Babylonian Aramaic word meaning 'son' (בֵּן‎, ben in Hebrew), while bat (בַּת‎), in Hebrew, means 'daughter'. Mitzvah (מִצְוָה‎) is Hebrew for 'commandment' or 'law'. Thus, bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah … See more

Reaching the age of bar or bat mitzvah signifies becoming a full-fledged member of the Jewish community with the responsibilities that … See more

The obligation to lay tefillin begins when a boy reaches bar mitzvah age. The common custom is for the bar mitzvah boy to begin putting on tefillin one to three months before his … See more

Today many non-Orthodox Jews celebrate a girl's bat mitzvah in the same way as a boy's bar mitzvah. All Reform and Reconstructionist, and most Conservative synagogues have … See more

The modern method of celebrating becoming a bar mitzvah did not exist in the time of the Hebrew Bible, Mishnah, or Talmud. Early rabbinic sources specify 13 as the age at which a boy becomes a legal adult; however, the celebration of this occasion is not … See more

The widespread practice is that on a Sabbath shortly after a boy turns 13, they are called up for an aliyah, the ceremony of reading a portion … See more

As the first mention of a party associated with a synagogue bar mitzvah was in the 13th century, hosting some sort of party is traditional and … See more