What's a bat mitzvah?
Bat mitzvah is the coming of age ceremony for a Jewish girl. The Hebrew words mean 'daughter of commandment' and they convey that at 13 years of age the individual is responsible for performing the obligations of an adult in the community. A boy is a bar mitzvah.
The history of the bar mitzvah dates back to a fifth-century rabbinic text referencing a blessing (still part of a traditional bar mitzvah) recited by the father thanking God for freeing him from responsibility for the deeds of his child, who is now accountable for his own actions. A 14th-century text mentions a father reciting this blessing in a synagogue when his son has his first aliyah (being called to read from the Torah scroll). By the 17th century, boys celebrating this coming of age were also reading from the Torah, chanting the weekly prophetic portion, leading services, and delivering learned talks.
Religious reformers of 19th-century Europe, uncomfortable with the ritual focus of the bar mitzvah, developed the confirmation ceremony, which celebrated the acquisition of the principles of Jewish faith by older teens. The confirmation ceremony quickly included girls as well as boys and spread to Reform and later Conservative congregations in the United States and elsewhere.
Aurora is bat mitzvah at our Progressive (Reform) community, which means she performs the same ceremony as she would if she were a boy.
Usually, the child will begin preparations for her bat mitzvah about a year before the big day. At the bat mitzvah, the child will generally get an aliyah and chant all or some of the weekly Torah portion and/or lead all or part of the prayer services.
on the day
The ceremony is incorporated into the normal shabbat (sabbath) morning service, which commences at 10am. When you arrive before 10am (ideally around 9.45), you will be invited to take a seat in the Synagogue sanctuary. Male guests are asked to wear a skullcap (kippah or yarmulkah) or a hat while in the sanctuary, but all genders are welcome to wear one if they would like. There will be spare caps for guests.
Aurora and her family will participate in the service and Aurora will chant the Torah verses that she has learned. Aurora will also help lead the service and deliver a sermon she has prepared. The sermon will relate to a topic contained in her Torah portion.
Aurora’s Torah portion is from Genesis, and is called Vayishlach, from the first word of that portion. Vayishlach means ‘and he sent’, and is the eighth portion in the annual cycle. In this action-packed portion the patriarch Jacob reconciles with his estranged brother Esau after wrestling with the ‘angel’.
Aurora’s portion is also significant for the telling of Dinah’s story. Dinah, a daughter of Jacob, is raped by Shechem, who then seeks to marry her. The consequences for Shechem and his people are dire.
Finally, listen out for some very special melodies in the chant, which is one reason this portion appealed to Aurora.
After the ceremony and service are over (around 12.30pm) we will move to the hall for a light lunch. Before we tuck in please wait for blessings on the wine and bread to be made.
TZEDAKAH PROJECT
As part of her Bat Mitzvah Aurora is running a tzedakah (charity) project and would appreciate your support with this. Aurora is collecting new personal care items for Women’s Refuge. Personal care items include sanitary products, bath and shower products, toothpaste and toothbrushes and so on. As you can imagine, these items are much needed by the women and children Women’s Refuge cares for.
For the month leading up to the Bat Mitzvah and on the day there will be a display and collection basket in the Beth Shalom foyer and we invite you to drop your donations in the basket ahead of time if you wish.
Gifting
As the Bat Mitzvah is a significant event in a Jewish person’s life, traditionally gifts reflect that by being something a little more enduring than a usual birthday gift. You can choose something with a Jewish theme or something classic that the Bat Mitzvah girl will keep for a long time. Traditionally money gifts are also given, often in multiples of 18, as the Hebrew word for “life” corresponds to the number 18. Aurora is keen to redecorate her bedroom so money gifts to help with that are more than welcome.
accommodation
If you’re coming from out of Auckland and would like to stay a while we can help you with accommodation. There are motel and AirBnB options available.
As the ceremony is in Epsom and the evening reception is in Hillsborough the most convenient options are in the following suburbs:
Epsom
Royal Oak
Greenlane