In Pirkei Avot 5:22 (Ethics of the Sages) Yehudah ben Tema presents a Jewish educational outline for lifetime learning. “At five years of age – the study of Bible, at ten – the study of Mishnah, at thirteen – responsibility for the mitzvot, at fifteen – the study of Talmud…at forty- the age of understanding, at fifty-the age of counsel…” According to Yehudah ben Tema, children were to begin receiving a formal education at age five with the teaching of Bible. Five years later, the child should begin to learn the basics of rabbinic law. Three years later, the child is seen as mature enough to accept responsibility for his/her actions regarding the observance of mitzvot (commandments). Ben Tema was only talking about boys. We learn elsewhere that girls accept responsibility for their actions at age twelve. At twelve or thirteen, children are now ready to perform, or not perform, the commandments by their own will.

Once the child accepts responsibility, he or she has crossed a threshold. They can now join the Jewish community in the fulfillment of mitzvot. They can also fulfill the obligations of others as leaders in the community. The name given to a child who has reached the threshold of responsibility is Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Literally it means son or daughter of the commandments.

Though the concept of bar and bat mitzvah is two thousand years old, the celebration of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah is relatively recent. In the middle ages, boys celebrated becoming bar mitzvah by having an aliyah to the Torah after their thirteenth Hebrew birthday (birthday according to the Jewish calendar) and with a small joyous kiddush or meal. Though there was a celebration, the moment of becoming bar mitzvah was still relatively minor. The moment of becoming bat mitzvah for girls was celebrated even less because girls did not traditionally participate in public rituals such as leading the congregation in prayer or in reading Torah.

In the last 150 years, things changed regarding bar and bat mitzvah, especially here in America. The milestone grew in importance. Public ceremonies celebrating girls becoming bat mitzvah were also added. Today in the Conservative movement, now that we count girls and boys equally in the Jewish community, there is little difference between boys and girls. The bar and bat mitzvah ceremony is now a time for a family and a child to reaffirm the value of Jewish education and participation. As a result, children do much more than just recite the Torah blessings. They observe and learn about many more mitzvot in preparation for becoming a bar or bat mitzvah.

Here at CSI, we take all of these changes into account in preparing our families and children for bar or bat mitzvah. The process begins early on in the religious school and gets more intense as the scheduled date for the ceremony arrives. The ceremony is truly the culmination of an entire process where we teach the children the importance and value of the mitzvot. For most families, the process is an unforgettable experience. The children and families at CSI are now prepared for the next step in the Jewish learning cycle.