:: B'nai Mitzvah

The Bar/Bat Mitzvah service is a spiritually enriching service for many reasons.  It symbolizes the transformation from childhood to adulthood.  Just as one becomes old enough to vote at age 18, one becomes old enough to keep God’s commandments at age 13.  As a new adult, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah will have new responsibilities to the community and to God.  Additionally, she or he will now have the responsibility of passing on Judaism – its traditions, rituals, teachings, and culture – to the next generation.  When the Bar/Bat Mitzvah recites the blessings over the Torah, she or he is, in effect, saying that she or he is old enough to be responsible for all that is being passed to him or her, and that the community can count on them to uphold the tradition and pass it to the next generation.

Preparation for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service begins in third grade when our students begin learning Hebrew in Religious School. Continuing on through the seventh grade, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child and his or her parents will be exposed to the beauty of Judaism through regular classroom activities and special programs. Regular attendance at Religious and Hebrew School is very important for your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation. In addition to the Religious School experience, each child will meet individually with specially trained B’nai Mitzvah tutors as well as a member of the WHC clergy in the months preceding the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. These one-on-one meetings will ensure the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is prepared for her/his special day and strengthen their connection to our tradition and to Washington Hebrew. Through all of these programs, parents and children will study together to appreciate and understand the meaning of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

Please click here for a listing of the ten most frequently asked questions concerning Bar/Bat Mitzvah.  If you have any further questions, please contact the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Coordinator, Marla Banov at MBanov@whctemple.org or 202-895-6309.