B'nai Mitzvah

Mazel Tov, we are so excited to begin the process for celebrating your child becoming a b'nai mitzvah! B’nai Mitzvah is a phrase that is inclusive of all Jews who have turned either 12 or 13 years old, and who, by virtue of their age, are able to participate fully in the ritual life of the Jewish people. From time immemorial, Jewish communities have made this milestone an occasion for community-wide celebration. B’nai mitzvah at Har Shalom are taught Jewish life-skills that they will hopefully not only put to use on the occasion of their celebration, but for many years to come as literate members of the synagogue community. Unlike certain religions that require clergy to perform their most sacred rituals, Judaism teaches that any Jewish person who has reached the age of mitzvot is eligible to lead communal prayer or read from our most sacred text, the Torah. Moreover, b’nai mitzvah also address the entire congregation, sharing Divrei Torah (words of Torah) explaining in their own words the meaning of the weekly Torah portion and its relevance to our contemporary lives. 

Click the image to peruse a copy of Har Shalom's B'nai Mitzvah Manual.

See an overview of our mitzvah process timeline below.