For nearly two thousand years, the age of thirteen has been considered the beginning of Jewish adulthood.  Early rabbinic texts indicate that at age thirteen, a young Jewish male ceased to be considered the "child of Jewish parents" and was viewed as a Jewish adult in his own right, responsible for fulfilling the Mitzvot, the religious precepts of Jewish tradition.

Considered against the broad span of Jewish history, the ceremony we know as Bar Mitzvah is a relatively recent addition to the menu of Jewish life cycle observances. It is not until the fourteenth century that we find records of young men being called to the Torah at age thirteen to become "sons of the commandment". In those days only males were educated, so there was no similar ceremony for women. The roots of Bat Mitzvah can be traced to the early part of the twentieth century as a life cycle passage introduced by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan. In keeping with Reform Judaism’s commitment to the religious equality of men and women, we mark the passage from childhood towards adulthood for our students at age thirteen, with the ceremony of both Bar and Bat Mitzvah, in which our students publicly accept their religious responsibilities.

At age thirteen, the newly enfranchised Jew celebrates the occasion in our community by exercising the most basic of his/her privileges and responsibilities: reading from the Torah and participating in leading a religious service. Bar and Bat Mitzvah marks the first time a young person is able to read from the Torah and lead the congregation in prayer. This is a milestone in Jewish life and a joyous occasion for the entire family and for our entire congregation.

The ceremonies of Bar and Bat Mitzvah are not goals or ends in themselves. Rather, they represent beginnings, first steps on the lifelong path of Jewish responsibility. It is our fervent hope as a congregation that, as each child assumes the role of an adult Jew, he or she will become a credit to and active member of the Jewish community of Israel throughout his or her life.

At Temple Shalom, we look to our b’nai mitzvah, as full-fledged members of our religious community, to take their responsibilities seriously by participating in worship services and by continuing Jewish education through confirmation and beyond.

Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is not a party or simply a ceremony at the Temple or an event that happens only once. Bar/Bat Mitzvah is the acceptance of a responsibility. One becomes Bar or Bat Mitzvah – the son or daughter of the Mitzvot, - and remains a Bar or Bat Mitzvah throughout his or her entire life. The celebration lasts for a few hours; the commitment is forever.