Individualized Bar & Bat Mitzvah Preparation & ceremony
Bar/Bat MITZVAH
“Studying each week with the Rabbi and my son for his Bar Mitzvah was very special. We both got so much out of it, but the highlight for me was gaining a real appreciation of studying Torah. Trying to truly interpret our Torah story was a great challenge. It was interesting to find that my son had deeply insightful ideas about the text, sometimes very different from my own. I became increasingly proud of the young man I was getting to know. Danny was also very thankful for my participation. It became our “thing” together, a tremendous bonding experience for both of us. To be honest, I initially did it just to help keep him focused, but I ended up learning a great deal on many levels.”
Rob Kaplan,
Video Editor, NBC News
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
“I was impressed by how both the Rabbi and our Circle teacher would take traditional learning and make it relevant to real life experience. This approach carried into the Bat Mitzvah service as well. It was a magnificent service, beyond our family’s remotest expectations. A true Mitzvah.” Adam Raff,
full time dad
Mahopac NY
PREPARATION FOR BAR AND BAT MITZVAH IS ISRAEL
For the Jewish pre-teen the Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah is a ceremony celebrating the coming of age of the Bar Mitzvah child, when he or she is entering into the world of Jewish adulthood and the begins to acquire greater all around personal independence.
The process of preparing the Bar Mitzvah child incorporates a variety of aspects:
- Strengthening the Bar and Bat Mitzvah child’s emotional
Jewish roots. - Introducing the Bar and Bat Mitzvah child to her mythical and
cultural connection to Israel. - Tutoring the Bar and Bat Mitzvah child in basic Jewish
ceremonial skills
BAR AND BAT MITZVAH PREPARATION APPROACHES
There are two common approaches to Bar Mitzvah tutoring:
- The mainstream synagogue approach, where the Bar Mitzvah
and Bat Mitzvah students are celebrated during a service at a
local US Temple - The creative Israel approach when each Bar Mitzvah or Bat
Mitzvah child is tutored by an English speaking Rabbi from
Israel via Zoom, followed by a trip and a ceremony at one of
several exotic Jewish sites in the land of Israel.
Both approaches carry unique advantages. The synagogue Hebrew School Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah experience exposes the child to the normative US Jewish community experience. The
adventurous Israel track allows for an experience that is personal and carefully tailored to the student’s strengths and interests. The awesome adventure of traveling around Israel, enhances the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremony by turning it into a once in a lifetime very special experience. It allows the Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah child to reach his or her highest learning potential while deepening the family’s connection to the Jewish story through a unique engagement with Israeli history and Israeli reality.
For a tree to blossom, it needs roots. Just like a tree, positive
identity and values development too need roots. When the Bar or
Bat Mitzvah child starts his or her learning process she begins the
natural journey of setting deep roots into the Jewish cultural and/or
religious soil allowing his or her “identity tree” to grow strong.
The Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah child will acquire the skills
necessary for delivering a D’var Torah (speech), for chanting from
the Torah, and for reciting a prayer or several prayers.
The program additionally prepares the Bar Mitzvah and Bat
Mitzvah child to take his or her place as an adult in the Jewish
community. Jewish adult privileges and responsibilities are
discussed as well as Jewish identity and the child’s place in his or
her Jewish lineage. A emphasis is placed on understanding our
Jewish connection to Israel as a historical homeland as well as a
mythical ground from which our entire long lasting culture has
sprung up.
BAR AND BAT MITZVAH CIRCLES INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD
The student will meet weekly with the Rabbi on Zoom, typically on a Sunday morning. Each Bar Mitzvah training meeting lasts 60 minutes. The child and family will use a shared online notebook (google drive) for written work and posted resources. The learning is engaging, personalized, and curated to the child’s strengths and curiosity. Our basic program spans 15 tutorial sessions and does not include Hebrew language instruction. A 30 session track is available for those interested in basic Hebrew skills and a more thorough review of Jewish history.
Questions? Call 317-8743106