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Bar & bat mitzvah
The big day is coming up.
A girl becomes Bat Mitzvah at twelve and a boy at thirteen, counted by the Hebrew calendar rather than the civil one — so the date is the Hebrew birthday, usually a week or two either side of the birthday you celebrate at home.
The date follows the Hebrew calendar, so it is usually a week or two either side of the birthday you celebrate. Put the birth date in and we will tell you which day it falls on.
A year before
Lessons begin — Hebrew reading first, because everything else rests on it. Six months is enough only if your child already reads fluently; eighteen if they are starting from the alphabet, or you want to choose the date rather than accept the one that is free.
Six months before
The Torah portion itself, and the parts of the service your child will lead. By now the reading is comfortable and this is the interesting half.
Two months before
A boy begins putting on tefillin, so that by the day he has been doing it for a while rather than for the first time. Honors, the date and the details are settled around now.
The day itself
Your child is called to the Torah as a Jewish adult — surrounded by family and community.
After
A celebration at Chabad, exactly as festive as you want it to be.
What a Bar or Bat Mitzvah actually involves
What it means, what your child does on the day, how long the preparation really takes, and what the family provides. Written for parents who have never done this.
For the celebration: sponsor the Kiddush after the service, and the Chabad Hall is available to rent for the party afterwards. If you never had a Bar Mitzvah yourself, that is arrangeable too, at any age.