Every Jewish family will know and prepare for the day when the children of the family reach the age of 12. In Judaism, this particular birthday is of great importance as it is then that the child becomes a Jewish adult. Normally, a big celebration is held in honor of the member of the family who has reached this important milestone.

1. Preparation and Devotion

While it is commonly associated with having a big party the Bar or Bat mitzvah celebrations are all about the creation of a link between the person and their faith. For this reason, children are often encouraged to spend the months before their bar or bat mitzvah learning more about their faith and deepening their relationship with both Judaism and God. 

2. Meaningful planning

When you are preparing your preparation, you should try to ensure that the choices that you are making are meaningful. This means that instead of just focusing on the party you should also focus on all of the important elements of your faith that you would like to reinforce during this time. A great way of doing this is by including charity events or volunteering in your preparations. By giving back one can deepen their connection with spirituality and can spend their time helping others as a way of marking the significance of this time. 

3. Selection of a Mitzvah Project

It is becoming more and more common for both young women and men to choose one mitzvah to focus on during this time. This project is one that they will research in-depth and will focus on creating a relationship with their mitzvah. The Mitzvah is another way of deepening one’s connection to the Jewish tradition, this is why it is common for mitzvahs to be focused on individual practices such as kindness, charity, or prayer. 

4. Plan your Party

The bar or bat mitzvah party is just another way of making that day memorable. As each person is completely different there is no set way of going about preparing your event and there are no wrong or right decisions. Some people prefer to plan intimate events with only their closest friends and family while others may select to have extravagant parties with everyone they know. This is your day of celebration and as such, the only requirement is honoring your traditions and making the day memorable for all of the right reasons. 

5. Enjoy Yourself

During the party, you should try to enjoy yourself as much as possible. While for many the bar or bat mitzvah can feel like an overwhelming experience, it’s still an experience that you will want to remember as favorably as possible. For this reason, try to relax as much as possible and keep in mind that this is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of your relationship with your faith and tradition. 

6. Prepare your Speech

During most Bat or bar mitzvah party’s the person celebrated will make a speech. If you are preparing your speech then you should start thinking about what you would like to say ahead of time and try to focus on the Torah ideas that most resonate with you. You may also want to focus on the importance of maintaining Jewish traditions and history and your connection to those during your speech. 

During your speech, you can also talk about your mitzvah project and show your appreciation to your parents, family, and friends. 

7. What to gift during a Bar or Bat Mitzvah

Perhaps one of the most important things that you will need to consider if you are attending a bar or bat Mitzvah is what you would like to gift the person being celebrated. It is customary to either gift items with some religious or educational value or even money. Monetary gifts are very popular and many people will choose to gift money in multiples of 18

In conclusion, The Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a beautiful event that can help people create some beautiful memories of connection to their religion and traditions. It’s important though to remember that this is only the beginning of a long journey into a deeper faith and connection with Jewish traditions and religious practices. This is an important time for self-reflection and for preparing for the next steps one will take to further grow their faith. Whether you are the person being celebrated or one of their family members or friends you should always be prepared to provide guidance and support to the young men or women taking their first steps as Jewish adults.