Becoming Bat Mitzvah is a very special time in your life. On one hand, it is a time to look back with satisfaction at past achievements, on the other hand, it is a time to look forward with excitement and anticipation to a future filled with happiness and success.
It is also a time to express your gratitude to Hashem and your appreciation to your parents and family for enabling you to reach this important milestone in your life.
Most importantly, it is a time to celebrate with your parents, family and friends reaching the age at which your engagement with Judaism and the Torah becomes your personal choice and responsibility.
Your celebration is very important, however, becoming a Bat Mitzvah is not a single event but rather the beginning of your participation in the adult Jewish world. The build-up for your Bat Mitzvah is first and foremost an educational process intended to prepare you for your role as an adult Jewish woman.
The most comprehensive educational pre-Bat Mitzvah course is the popular Bat Chayil course provided by LJFS.
The Bat Chayil course includes stimulating discussions, special projects and plenty of socialising with your friends. You will learn about Jewish Holidays, Jewish Life Cycle, Jewish Women role models of the past and present, Shabbat, Kashrut and practice Hebrew reading. The lessons take place on Sundays. The course lasts for the entire duration of the academic year.
The celebration of completing the Bat Chayil course doesn’t replace your individual celebration of your Bat Mitzvah.
The main part of your Bat Mitzvah celebration will be the D’var Torah -Torah discourse, which you are going to prepare and deliver in public. A few months before the Bat Mitzvah date (which is your Hebrew 12th birthday) you will meet with Rebbetzin Rikki Kupperman who will explore with you the possible themes for your discourse, and will suggest ways how to research the chosen theme. Then you will conduct (with or without the help of your parents) your own research and will come back to Rikki who will work together with you till the completion of your D’var Torah.
When the great day comes, you will have two options how and when to have the celebration.
The first option is to have it on Friday just before Shabbat in the Shul’s hall. Probably, your parents would like to say a few words, but the main part will be your D’var Torah to which the Rabbi will respond with his address and presentation of a special Women’s Siddur. Then you will light the Shabbat Candles and say the special prayer for this occasion. You will be followed by all the other women who will light their candles. The whole ceremony takes about half an hour. It will be followed by Friday night service in the Shul, after which we will come back to the hall to have a Kiddush, optionally, followed by a dinner. Many people prefer this option because it gives the Bat Mitzvah girl the opportunity to light the candles as part of the celebration.
However, for some people, Friday night may be too early in winter or too late in summer. This is why we also have the Shabbat morning option. If you choose to celebrate your Bat Mitzvah on Shabbat morning you will be addressed by the Rabbi during the service, and your father and brother (if he is nice to you) will be called up to the Torah. After the service, we will go to the Shul’s hall for the Kiddush and there you will say your D’var Torah and will receive the Siddur.
Whatever option you choose we are sure that it will be a memory that will follow you all your life.
The entire Etz Chaim family wishes you a happy and successful future in which you will become a valued and valuable member of our community.
The Reception rooms and the splendid Reuben Vincent Hall at the Etz Chaim Synagogue will facilitate the celebration of your Simcha in perfect surroundings. Our office team will be happy to assist you in choosing the appropriate space for your celebration, to suit every taste and every pocket. Please be aware, that in Leeds, no Synagogue allows a Bat Mitzvah to take place if the later celebrations are catered by a caterer who is not licensed by a respected Kashrus Authority. The Reception rooms and the Reuben Vincent Hall are under the permanent supervision of the Leeds Kashrus Authority, which makes them an ideal choice in this respect.
For more information about renting the hall, contact the Shul office
You can rest assured that our clergy and office team will make every effort to ensure that when the big day comes, you will be proud of your daughter and have a day to enjoy and remember.
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