Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s
Preparation Standards
Candidates for Bar/Bat Mitzvah who are booked for a Shabbat morning service are required to attend a minimum of 6 Shabbat morning services by two months before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah date (unless extenuating circumstances apply).
Bar/Bat Mitzvah students booked for other services (Saturday afternoon “havdalah” service, or a weekday or Rosh Chodesh service) are required to attend a minimum of 4 Shabbat morning services and an additional 2 services of the type which they have booked by two months before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah date (unless extenuating circumstances apply). If there are not enough weekday Rosh Chodesh services or “havdalah” services available at the Lodzer, the Clergy will work out an alternative arrangement with the family.
The office and the Clergy can help with coordinating your attendance at our services.
The required minimum attendance must be completed at the Lodzer Congregation, unless other arrangements are discussed and agreed upon with the Clergy. Furthermore, at least one parent should accompany the student to each service. Extenuating circumstances precluding the ability to meet this standard must be pre-approved by the Clergy. It is anticipated that regular attendance at services will enable both the student and the parent(s) to become more familiar with and thus more comfortable with the services in which they will participate.
Any exceptional circumstances affecting a candidate’s ability to meet any of these minimum attendance requirements must be cleared with the The Clergy.
There are many Shabbatot throughout the year on which there are no scheduled events, and on such occasions, the candidate may have an opportunity to participate in services. Such participation is entirely optional.
Habitual non-attendance at services or lessons and/or less than satisfactory preparation, as determined by the Board or its designated representative, may result in the suspension of lessons or the postponement or cancellation of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Minimum Age
The minimum age for Bar Mitzvah is 13, and for Bat Mitzvah is 12, calculated according to the Jewish calendar.
Status
All candidates for Bar/Bat Mitzvah must be halakhically Jewish, or must become so prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony.
Bookings
The Lodzer will only take bookings for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs at a minimum of six (6) months in advance of the proposed date. Less than six months does not provide the child with adequate time to prepare.
No more than two siblings may be booked on a given day.
Bookings will not be taken if the proposed date falls on a Jewish Holiday.
Performance Expectations
Each student is encouraged to lead as much of each service as possible.
Each student is required to deliver a Davar Torah, a 2-3 minute speech concerning the Torah reading of the day, to be prepared in consultation with the Clergy.
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs booked for Shabbat morning must complete, at a minimum, the maftir reading and the haftarah reading for that day, together with their attendant blessings.
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs booked for a regular Monday or Thursday morning, or for a Saturday afternoon “havdalah” service, or for a weekday Rosh Chodesh service must complete, at a minimum, the entire Torah reading for that day.
In cases where two candidates are sharing a Bar/Bat Mitzvah date together, individual reading requirements will be determined by the Clergy.
Any exceptional circumstances affecting a candidate’s ability to meet the minimum performance requirements must be cleared with the Clergy.
Three months prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the family should contact the Clergy in order to set up time to go over the service to determine the candidate’s level of proficiency. This session date should be eight weeks prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah thus allowing adequate time for the student to strengthen areas requiring attention.
If the Clergy determines that the Bar/Bat Mitzvah has not met our minimum standards of preparation or performance by: (a) two months before the date of the scheduled Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or (b) before the invitations are sent out by the family, whichever date comes first, the Board or its designated representative may postpone or cancel the Bar/Bat Mitzvah and the family may choose to reschedule it for another time. If the family chooses to send invitations out before this two-month deadline, it is their responsibility to call to arrange for an evaluation session with the The Clergy prior to a mailing going out. If a postponement or cancellation is decided upon, no refund will be given to the family in such a circumstance, and any additional costs incurred in re-booking the Bar/Bat Mitzvah will be the family’s sole responsibility.
