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Sometimes the rationale and deliberations upon which our congregational policy is based fade from institutional memory and we need to remind ourselves periodically of the logic and considerations that framed a particular policy. One such policy regards the role of a child becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah in our synagogue within the context of our congregational worship service. (Note: The terms are nouns and should not be used as verbs such as to “be Bar/Bat Mitzvahed.”)
The historical origins of a child becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah were based in the emergence of a 13-year-old boy into adulthood. After a young man’s thirteenth birthday he was able to read from the Torah, a legal right reserved only for adults. He was also legitimately counted as part of a minyan, was encouraged to marry, earn a living and raise a family. Though girls were not afforded the right to read from Torah, they were granted the legal rights of maturity at age twelve. Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah also carried the significance of being obligated to fulfill the same mitzvot (commandments) that adults were required to do.
While its legal stature is no longer applicable, the status of becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is still very significant. The occasion contains a tremendous affirmation of continuity and has always been celebrated as part of the synagogue community.
At Central Synagogue, the primary principle governing our determination of the role of a child becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is that this important event occurs as part of a congregational worship service. There are no services for the purpose of celebrating a Bar/Bat Mitzvah that are not already part of the worship calendar of the congregation. Since we have regular morning services on weekdays and a Shabbat morning service on Saturday and since the Torah is traditionally ready on Monday, Thursday and Shabbat morning, we invite the Bar/Bat Mitzvah to bless and read Torah during these services. This is very much within the tradition of Jewish life. The young man or woman is also asked to participate in other regular parts of our traditional morning service by reading and blessing the Haftarah on Shabbat and delivering a D’var Torah, an exposition of the Torah text for the week.
We have thought carefully about the role of family members of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah participating during the service. Our goal is to balance the joy of a family celebrating the significant event of a child becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah with the regular worship experience of the congregation. It is important that no worship service within our congregation becomes a private family affair. No member of Central Synagogue attending a worship service should ever feel that they are an interloper on a family’s private occasion. For this reason, we have available kippot and tallitot for all worshippers and refrain from handing out personalized kippot at services.
A Bar/Bat Mitzvah focuses on study and interpretation of the Torah without using the podium as a platform for a “speech” that includes personal expressions of gratitude to parents, teachers and clergy. We do not allow photography during any congregational worship experience and we do not make announcements regarding a family’s private celebration following the service. Our members and regular attendees at worship should have the experience that the worship service is their congregation’s worship tradition and that they are being lead in prayer by a young person celebrating his/her formal entrance into the Jewish community.
We know that Central Synagogue’s vision of Bar/Bat Mitzvah may vary from other congregational models. I hope that every congregation bases its policies and traditions on full discussion and consideration of significant principles which they choose to uphold. Everything we do in our sanctuary stems from a vision that worship expresses the soul of a congregation and that we hope that every one of our member families will celebrate joyful events within the embrace of their synagogue’s worship.
As a synagogue community, we especially look forward to celebrating our children becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah in our congregation. Our leadership continues to discuss and refine our principles, visions and policies in a tradition of deliberate consideration as we commit ourselves to containing the best of our values within the public expressions of congregational worship. We aim to make this lifecycle a joyful celebration for each family and the entire congregation.
Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein
