Tree of Life Congregation
Tree of Life
Congregation

Bar and Bat Mitzvah old

B’nei Mitzvah Secrets

Your child’s Jewish literacy

  1. Your children will feel more Jewish if they regularly attend religious school
  2. Your children will learn to sermonize by helping with the religious school class sermon
  3. Your children will know the blessings better if they regularly attend Family Shabbat
  4. Your children will know the prayers better if they regularly attend Hebrew school
  5. Your children will know the rituals better if they regularly attend Torah services

Your child’s bar/bat mitzvah

  1. This is your event and you can do it any way you want
  2. Your child will value this as much as you value it
  3. Your child will practice as often as you require it
  4. Your child will procrastinate as much as you allow it
  5. You have a b’nei mitzvah community: partner with the other families

Wrong reasons to get bar/bat mitzvah

  1. Party
  2. Presents
  3. Dad/mom did it
  4. Grandparents pushing it
  5. Everyone’s doing it

Right reasons to get bar/bat mitzvah

  1. Figure out what I believe in
  2. Learn how to speak in public
  3. Conquer shyness
  4. Learn how to work toward a long-term goal
  5. Learn how to follow the rules yet produce something personal

Wrong things to learn from bar/bat mitzvah

  1. There are a thousand excuses for failure
  2. My family will love me even if I do a poor job
  3. My friends don’t know the difference between correct and incorrect Hebrew
  4. I can always lip-sync the rabbi
  5. If I talk fast and indistinctly enough, no one will know if my speech makes sense or not

Right things to learn from bar/bat mitzvah

  1. What I do matters
  2. What I say matters
  3. If I put my best foot forward, people will take me seriously
  4. Planning ahead makes all the difference
  5. Judaism belongs to me if I want it, in any way that I want it