A Rite of Passage

Becoming a Jewish Adult

            Nichola stood at the podium poised and confident, ready to begin her Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Over the previous months, she had studied hard. We had engaged in profound conversations on a variety of topics including Torah, mitzvot (commandments), and what it meant to her to be a young Jewish adult in today’s world. She had selected some of the prayers for the morning’s service from those I had shared with her, opting for those that spoke to her heart. The Torah verses she read aloud from the open scroll were also of her choosing.

             Nichola had read and analyzed her Torahparsha (portion), Shemini, writing and presenting a brilliant Dvar Torah (interpretation of the parsha). Her pervading theme was mindfulness: how a lack of mindfulness led to the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, and how the laws of keeping kosher (kashrut) are meant to keep us mindful of what we eat. Expanding on this theme, Nichola emphasized the importance of being mindful of the resources we require to live, cautioning us not to consume or even purchase more than we really need. Conservation, compassion, and sharing were ideas she imparted to those of us fortunate enough to be present to hear her words of wisdom.

              This beautiful ceremony took place in the family’s backyard, where trees stood tall, the sun was glorious, and birds chirped sweetly.  A small group of relatives and friends watched as Nichola was called to the Torah for her Aliyah, recited the appropriate blessings and Torah verses, and officially became a Bat Mitzvah, a daughter of the commandments.

            While there is no Biblical commandment specifying the age at which a child takes on the obligation of observing the mitzvot, the rabbis of the Talmud determined that for boys the age is 13 and for girls it is 12. This is when children were believed to have the capacity to understand morality, conscious choice, and reason.  Until then, parents bore the responsibility for their children’s actions.

             The transition to Jewish adulthood does not actually require a ceremony to mark the occasion. Sometime in the Middle Ages, however, this rite of passage (for boys) began to take hold. It began with a father’s single prayer thanking God for relieving him of responsibility for his son’s actions.

  Over the centuries, a young man’s participation in the ritual increased, and he began to read from the Torah, chant the corresponding Haftarah portion from the Prophets, present a teaching, and lead parts of the service. In 1922, Judith Kaplan — daughter of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism — was the first young lady to have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony in the United States. This opened the door for other young women to celebrate this milestone with a Bat Mitzvah ceremony of their own.

             A Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony may take place anywhere: a synagogue among the congregation, or in a more intimate setting with only family and close friends, such as a private home or outdoors in nature. However a family chooses to honor this milestone, offering children the opportunity to accept this mantle of Jewish adulthood is a beautiful gift, one they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. In these sacred moments, families pass along Jewish values, traditions, and spirit from generation to generation.