Practices - OCR Bar and Bat Mitzvah, and Bat Chayil

The Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies mark the transition into adulthood for young Jews. At age 13 a boy becomes a Bar Mitzvah (a son of the commandments) and at age 12 a girl becomes a Bat Mitzvah (a daughter of the commandments).

After these ceremonies, Jewish boys and girls become responsible for living according to Jewish law. At this point, each young person has to accept the law and its obligations, participate fully in services at the synagogue and set a good example for others. After the ceremony, Jewish boys can be counted as part of a minyan. In Reform synagogues, girls who are Bat Mitzvah can also be counted.

Bar Mitzvah ceremony

A Bar Mitzvah happens around a boy’s 13th birthday and is part of a service in the synagogue. The boy prepares by spending a lot of time studying the Torah, and then reads from the Torah during the ceremony. The boy also puts on the tefillin for the first time.

The rabbi gives a talk, speaking to both the boy and his family and to the rest of the community. The boy might also give a talk to the people gathered.

It is traditional for the boy’s father to recite a prayer of thanks to God for bringing his son to maturity. The boy receives gifts and there is a celebratory meal.

Bat Mitzvah ceremony

The Bat Mitzvah is only practised by Reform and liberal Jewish communities. The ceremony follows a similar pattern to the Bar Mitzvah and happens around a girl’s 12th birthday.

During her Bat Mitzvah, a girl may read from the Torah or she may instead read a prayer from the siddur. Traditionally, within Judaism, males and females are not thought to have the same responsibilities. As a result, in some Jewish communities, some rules (such as the requirement to read from the Torah) are less strict for girls than they are for boys.

Bat Chayil

Bat Chayil means ‘daughter of valour’. It is an Orthodox Jewish ceremony for girls. The ceremony takes place close to a girl’s 12th birthday in the synagogue, but not as part of Shabbat services.

During the Bat Chayil service, the girl speaks about a topic relating to Judaism. However, she does not lead prayers or read from the Torah.

Orthodox Jews see women and men as having different roles and responsibilities. Women do not take an active part in the synagogue services, but they have a very important role to play in worship that takes place in the home. Bat Chayil marks a girl’s passage into an adult role in her religious community. After the ceremony, she is expected to observe Jewish religious rules for women and to spend time learning how to keep a good home.