Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah

In Year 6, we started our learning by thinking about the age at which we are considered adults. We talked about the ages at which we can do things like:

* drive a car                

* vote in an election

* get married

* buy alcohol

* be responsible for bills and money management

We mostly agreed that we become an adult at the age of 18.

In Judaism, children become adults in the eyes of their religion at the ages of 12 for girls and 13 for boys.

There is a special coming of age ceremony that celebrates the young people taking responsibility for their own actions in the eyes of God rather than their parents being responsible. The young people are known as:

· Bar Mitzvah – Son of the Commandments

· Bat Mitzvah – Daughter of the Commandments

We watched lots of videos of young people talking about becoming a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah and thought about how important the experience was and how much preparation it took.

To prepare to become a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah, Jewish children spend a lot of time learning with a Rabbi at their synagogue. They will learn how to read from the Torah if they are a boy, or learn a special poem called the Eishet Chayil if they are a girl. During the ceremony, the children will use a special pointer called a Yad to follow the Hebrew they are reading.

We tried to read along with some Hebrew as part of the Aliyah which is one of the special blessings read over the Torah.