Translation:

Son of (i.e. subject to) the commandment (Bar is Aramaic rather than Hebrew), plural form is b’nei mitzvah if multiple males or mixed gender

Definition:

A bar mitzvah is a male aged 13 or above who, due to his age, gains adult privileges and responsibilities within the Jewish community, such as counting as part of a minyan (the minimum group of 10 needed for certain prayers), leading certain prayers and wearing tallit, amongst others.

A boy automatically becomes bar mitzvah at 13. Often, this is commemorated with a ceremony at his synagogue sometime after his thirteenth birthday; it is possible for a ceremony to take place years after he turns thirteen. This ceremony is generally incorporated into the Shabbat morning service and generally involves the bar mitzvah leading certain prayers, giving a d’var torah (a short talk usually based on the week’s sedra or haftarah), having an aliyah (a call-up to the Torah scroll) and reading part or all of the week’s sedra from the Torah scroll. The particular parts of the service the bar mitzvah takes on are generally ones that require a person of Jewish maturity to do, such as reading the Torah. This is so that the bar mitzvah can demonstrate that he is taking on these additional privileges and responsibilities. Communities differ in what they ask of their b’nei mitzvah, both in the years before the ceremony, on the day and in the years following.

Contrary to popular parlance, a child does not have a bar mitzvah. This usage is not only technically incorrect, it implies that there is some sort of one-off event that can be seen to exist in isolation. Rather, one becomes bar mitzvah. This is a status change within the Jewish community, one that lasts for the rest of his life. Becoming bar mitzvah should, ideally, be the beginning of a deeper relationship with Judaism and an increased involvement in the Jewish community.

Sources:

• At 13, one is liable for the commandments, Pirkei Avot 5:24
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah Basics: A Practical Family Guide to Coming of Age Together, edited by Cantor Helen Leneman
• For Kids – Putting God on the Guest List: How to Claim the spiritual Meaning of Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Jeffrey Salkin
• Putting God on the Guest List: How to Reclaim the spiritual Meaning of Your Child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Jeffrey Salkin

Related Items: