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At the service when a child becomes Bar or Bat Mitzvah, he or she will do the following:
Candle lighting. It is customary at Central Synagogue for one representative of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s family to kindle the Shabbat lights on Friday evening. If the Bar/Bat Mitzvah has a younger sibling, he/she may accompany the adult to the bimah for this honor. The honoree will light the candles as the Cantor leads the congregation in the Hebrew blessing. The honoree will then read the English translation of the blessing before returning to his/her seat. If there are two B’nei Mitzvah, then the English reading will be divided between the representatives of each family.
Hakafah. When the Torah Scroll is removed from the Ark, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s immediate family – parents and siblings – will join the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and the clergy in the procession around the sanctuary. Following the procession, siblings will retake their seats, and grandparents and great grandparents will join the parents and the Bar/Bat Mitzvah for the Torah Passing Ceremony.
Torah Passing Ceremony. Family members and the Bar/Bat Mitzvah will participate in the “chain of tradition,” where the Rabbi symbolically passes the Torah down from one generation to the next by holding the Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll) in front of each member of the family as they stand on the bimah. Grandparents, great grandparents, parents, and the Bar/Bat Mitzvah will form a line along which the Torah Scroll is ‘passed’ from generation to generation. Parents have the opportunity at this time to share a private statement of one or two sentences with their child before handing down the Torah. Once the Bar/Bat Mitzvah has received the Torah Scroll, it will be brought to the lectern to be prepared for reading.
Aliyot. There are three Torah honors called Aliyot. Family participates in the first two Aliyot, and the Bar/Bat Mitzvah receives the third. Each Aliyah involves honorees chanting the blessings before and after the Torah reading. Family members who feel uncomfortable reciting or chanting Hebrew will be encouraged to read their blessings in English. Transliteration is available as an aid for people who know the blessings but are unsure of the Hebrew letters. Non-Jewish family members may also participate by reading the English translation. At least two people, but no more than four, can participate in the blessings before and after the reading of the Torah. At least two should be able to recite the blessings in Hebrew. It is important to note, however, that there should be a single voice heard, i.e. the blessings should not be recited by more than one person at a time. Aliyot may go to anyone over the age of thirteen the Bar/Bat Mitzvah family seeks to honor. Honorees often include, but are not limited to: grandparents, parents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
We encourage family members to participate in Shabbat services as an important way for the student becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah to honor those whose love has brought him/her to this milestone. We recognize that some of these family members may not be Jewish, and that their support has been no less instrumental in guiding the Bar/Bat Mitzvah toward this day. Therefore, we seek to include non-Jewish parents and relatives in the celebration in equally meaningful ways, and we will be guided by each family’s sense of what is authentic and appropriate. The only honor we reserve specifically for Jewish family members is the ritual Hebrew recitation of the blessing over the Torah reading and the lighting of the Shabbat candles. The translation of these blessings may be offered by non-Jewish family members.
