What is a Bar/Bat Mitzvah? An important life cycle event for a young Jewish person, the Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, is one of the most traditional and momentous of Jewish symbols and rituals.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah means that a Jewish child is old enough to perform the mitzvot (the commandments of Jewish life); the literal meaning is "commandment age" or age of majority, and the ceremony which takes place when a child is thirteen years old, signifies the point at which that child has acquired enough maturity, responsibility and knowledge to be considered an adult for religious purposes.

In helping to lead the services, Harry will demonstrate that he has become skilled in reading and chanting Hebrew, and also that he understands the significance of the moral, ethical and theological obligations of being a Jew.

Becoming a Bar Mitzvah is not in and of itself a religious service, nor are the Shabbat services being conducted because of the Bar Mitzvah. The reverse is true. Harry becomes a Bar Mitzvah by participating in the Sabbath services. Were there no Bar or Bat Mitzvah scheduled, the services would still be conducted and the portions read by Harry would be read by some other adult member of the congregation. Harry's Bar Mitzvah signifies the first occasion on which he participates in a Jewish religious service as an adult.

About midway through the service, there is a section known as the Torah service. A Torah is a parchment scroll which contains, in hand-lettered Hebrew characters, the entire text of the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. For Jews this is the most important part of the Bible, in that it contains the laws and traditions by which we guide our lives. When the Torah is removed from the Ark (a large ornate cabinet in the front of the sanctuary), the congregation stands as a sign of respect.

When Harry becomes a Bar Mitzvah, he will publicly read a section from the Torah; this is the first day he will have ever been called to the Torah. Each week, every congregation in the Jewish world reads the identical passage. In this way, Harry is linked to the entire Jewish people all over the world. The Torah is divided into several parts; the portion of the Torah read during Shabbat services the weekend that Jake will become a Bar Mitzvah is Acharei Mos (Leviticus, Chapters 16-18).  For each section (parsha) that he reads, a member of the congregation is honored by being called to the Torah to recite a blessing before the portion is read and another blessing after the reading. On the day of the Bar Mitzvah celebration, it is customary to give these honors to members of the family of the Bar Mitzvah boy.

He will also read a haftarah, which is a selection from the weekly section of the prophetic writings - from Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, etc., or from historical books like Joshua, Judges, Samuel, or Kings. During the exile from Israel, the Jews were forbidden to read the Torah.  Thus they read selections from the prophets which reminded them of the corresponding Torah readings.  This tradition has continued and each Shabbat a selection from the prophets is read. The haftarah reading on the weekend when Harry will become a Bar Mitzvah, Kedoshim, comes from the Book of Amos.

While the actual day is important and memorable, the years of preparation before are just as enlightening and vital. Harry began preparing to become a Bar Mitzvah by going to Hebrew/Religious school some years before he actually turned Bar Mitzvah age. In fact, some children begin attending afternoon religious school from the time they enter kindergarten. The purpose of going to religious school is to learn about Jewish customs, holidays, history, and the Hebrew language. In the year leading up to the event, more intense training focuses on the specific Torah portion and accompanying prayers.