Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah is a significant life cycle event, shared by students, their families, and our Temple Emanuel community on Shabbat Mornings. Students chant from the Torah, lead portions of the service, and deliver a D’var Torah (sermon), demonstrating that they are worthy of being called a Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah, a child of the commandments, someone who can now fully participate in the religious life of our people
In order to become a Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel, a student must complete a minimum of three years of Hebrew instruction, beginning in the third grade. Regular attendance in both Sunday and mid-week classes is required. Students may also meet this requirement through attendance at a Jewish Day School.
Students transferring to our religious school from other schools will be evaluated by the clergy in order to ensure appropriate placement and the fulfilling of academic requirements for Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah Mitzvah. Parents of a child with special learning issues should meet with the Rabbi and the Cantor to plan a specialized preparation program, or to discuss alternative options to a traditional B’nei Mitzvah.
We at Temple Emanuel believe that the Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah ceremony is not the culmination of formal Jewish education, but rather one of the many customs and ceremonies that lead to a complete Jewish upbringing. Students are expected to continue their formal studies through Confirmation, which occurs at the end of the tenth grade.
Two years prior to their child’s Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah, parents attend an informational meeting where they will be given a Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah Handbook and a request form to indicate their child’s intention to become a Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah student at Temple Emanuel. For more information, please contact Cantor Lindsay.
Link to Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah Handbook
Link to timeline for Bar/Bat/Brit Mitzvah Preparation
