Bat Mitzvah



Having my Bat Mitzvah has been the highlight of my life, nothing has brought me more pride and happiness. When a girl reaches the age of twelve there is a big ceremony that takes place for her. Even if you don’t have the ceremony you are still considered Bar/Bat mitzvah. When becoming Bar/Bat mitzvah you have certain responsibilities that you have to take on. One of them is that you are responsible for your own actions. Children bear their own responsibilities for Jewish ritual, law, tradition, and ethics and are privileged to take part in all areas of Jewish community.

Having a Bat Mitzvah is a huge deal in Jewish tradition. Studying for six moths and working hard is the only way you will accomplish anything. Putting hard work into studying and memorizing was a huge responsibly.. Memorizing seven lines of Torah, a paragraph of Haf Torah, and all the prayers was a difficult task . When having a Bar /Bat Mitzvah you have to write an essay about the Torah Portion, this must have been my favorite part. Giving a speech to hundreds of people and teaching them was great experience.

Sharing your Bar/Bat mitzvah isn’t a very unusual thing.. I met with the Rabbi and my partner once a moth to discuss how we were doing. Before this I didn’t even know the boy, we didn’t get close but I learned enough about him to be able to share my Bat mitzvah with him.. Having my Bat mitzvah didn’t only teach me about how hard you have to work to accomplish something. But I made new friends going through the process and learning how to manage my time wisely.

Bar mitzvah is simply the age when a person is responsible for his actions. Comparing this to secular law, you will see that there isn’t that much of a difference. For example under United States law, fourteen is the minimum age of employment for some occupations. A thirteen-year-old is definitely capable of knowing the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and being held responsible for his/her actions. That is the real meaning of Bar/Bat mitzvah. When becoming Bar/Bat mitzvahs the Rabbi’s say that you have many more responsibilities and need to help out in the community. You are considered an adult when you reach Bar/Bat mitzvah age, but not a full adult. This is one of the stages of becoming an adult and fully maturing.

Seeing my sister have her Bat Mitzvah I always waited for my day to come. When it finally came I was extremely nervous, with butterflies in my stomach. If it weren’t for my parents none of this would have happened. They put a lot of work into making me happy! Devotion is the key to a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, nothing is possible without devotion from the kid, the family and congregation. Everyone plays a huge part in the event even if they aren’t physically involved in it. Having a Bat Mitzvah is like putting a puzzle together, there are many different aspects and steps you have to take. It all starts two years before the event when you get your date. Everything builds from there. When everyone is happy with the end result.

Getting my date was very exciting and that is when I started to think about my Bat Mitzvah. In sixth grade I started to think about when my big day would come. Always being nervous to experience such a big event in hundreds of people. Ending the day with a sigh of relief and a big smile on my face was great. The highlight of the weekend becoming an adult and standing up in front of the whole community and going through the process of becoming an adult by learning and chanting all of the prayers. Every time I look back at this day I see the vivid image of me standing in front of everyone and making my family and friends proud.

When looking at pictures and the big poster my grandma made me for this event it puts a big smile on my face. I love looking back on this event and remembering how much work was put into it. Starting from sixth grade when I got my date, until today. I have changed as a person and this event has made a big impact on my life. Now when I go to other peoples Bar/Bat mitzvahs I look at those kids and remember when I was their age and went through all of that. When the day comes I will tell my kids about how I had my Bat mitzvah. This tradition will go on and I will always be pleased to go to other Bar/Bat mitzvahs and see the smile on their faces. I am very proud to be Jewish!