Evergreen
The Ethics of Family Inclusion
Who we invite to a simcha (celebration) reflects our sense of family identity.
The First Bat Mitzvah
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan's daughter's modest break with patriarchal traditions created new religious options for Jewish women.
The Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Although not associated with puberty, this rite represents a spiritual "coming of age" for adult Jews.
The Parents’ Blessing: Baruch She-p’tarani
The bar mitzvah ceremony is medieval, but a bar mitzvah blessing appears nearly a millenium earlier.
Parent-Child Dynamics Shift Before Bar/Bat Mitzvah
A family educator offers words of advice to the family.
The Jewish Age of Majority and Its Obligations
Reaching the age of majority was not always a requirement for commandments such as being called up to the Torah.
Contemporary Issues in Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Contemporary Bar/Bat Mitzvah Issues. The Bar / Bat Mitzvah Celebrarion. Jewish Coming of Age. Jewish Lifecycle
The Surprising History of Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation
The bar mitzvah (and even more so the bat mitzvah) is a relatively new phenomena.