Bat Mitzvah Ceremony

Bat Mitzvah is a ceremony that is celebrated for girls transitioning into adulthood in the Jewish community. In the earliest days, Bat Mitzvah was a short ceremony that included a blessing by the child 's father. In the modern times, Bat Mitzvahs a long ceremony that includes Torah Readings, Speeches, and a Celebration at the end. In the beginning, Bat Mitzvah was not a ceremony for girls. It started out as a ceremony for boys, which is called Bar Mitzvah today. When a Jewish boy turned thirteen years old, he would immediately turn into a Bar Mitzvah without a ceremony. However, Between the sixth to the twelfth century, the modern Bar Mitzvah ceremony came in. In the thirteenth century, After chanting blessings and reading a portion of the Torah, a boy would be called a Torah with the following words. “Blessed is He who has freed me from responsibility for this boy." [Hebrew Book,

Bat Mitzvah 's are celebrated on the Shabbat closes to the girl 's thirteenth birthday. As a result, invitations would be sent three to four months prior to the even. Girl 's are expected to be prepared for the ceremony by going to Hebrew school several years before the event. They usually go to Hebrew school to learn more about the Jewish history, Torah studies, and Worship. From here on, the child must learn about the Torah by often working one-on-one with the Rabbi, cantor, or teacher. Torah Reading is a significant event that takes place in the ceremony. During the ceremony, the child reads the final portion of the Torah which is called the Maftir. Maftir is a repetition of several verses of the seventh portion. Prior to and after reading the Torah, the child will be reciting blessings from the Torah. The importance of this event is to bring in the child 's new responsibilities in the Jewish community. Some Bat Mitzvahs do not include the Torah Reading event. If they do, they would usually receive changed