A Bar/Bat Mitzvah at TBA

Jewish life does not begin at age 13.  This is the age when our children cross an important threshold in their religious understanding of themselves and their relationship to the community, to others, and to God.  On the day of their simchah, the community stands with each child as he or she comes before the kehillah to share with us the skills that they have learned throughout their Religious School education. 

Each family is encouraged to help prepare for this special event in the life of the family by coming to services on Shabbat morning on a regular basis so that they can become familiar with the service and the various prayers

that we recite.  Candidates are expected to lead the congregation in various prayers throughout the service.  Additional workshops are planned during the school year to help families better understand the service

and how to construct a d'var torah, which all of our young adults are expected to deliver on their special morning. 

We also encourage each of our candidates to become involved in a mitzvah project as part of their planning.  Something that helps them to connect to our greater world and the need for each individual to make a difference in the life of the community whether their interest be people, animals, or the environment. 

Finally, each child is encouraged to become a 'philanthropist' by participating in the B'nei Tzedek Program administered by the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation whereby the foundation matches an initial grant from each Bar/bat mitzvah candidate, and in future years they can add to the total as well as make distributions to various organizations within their own community, including their synagogue.