Bar and Bat Mitzvah Students at B'nai Zion

Begin the Journey                            Six Months Before Date                                 Two Months Before

Family Forms to Fill                          Honors / Aliyot                                             Candy

HebrewDoc B Mitzvah                      Current Student Resources 

START LEARNING YEARS AHEAD OF THE SERVICE   

Start Preparing for B Mitzvah   

Please read these REQUIREMENTS and OBLIGATIONS  for becoming B Mitzvah

Learn the Prayers Needed to Lead the Service

Hebrew studies at B'nai Zion usually begin even in the Red River Kehillah pre-school classes with some letter and word recognition, but Hebrew class learning begins in third grade. Students usually have class time after Religious School, and at least once during the week after school.

Students need to practice - daily - to be able to learn all of the Hebrew needed. It is not that it is a lot of Hebrew, experience shows that without frequent practice it is more difficult to maintain progress. Rabbi Jana likes to say: "Give Me Five" - even five minutes a day (or five minutes 2 or three times a day) is enough to make progress and not forget what was taught.

     Rabbi Jana posts learning materials: printouts, audio, video, slideshows, flashcards and more  here: 
     https://www.hebrewdoc.com/BnaiMitzvahClass.html  
     Go to the Current Student Resources at the bottom of this page, by clicking HERE.

Become Familiar with the Shabbat Services - and the Other Congregants

Families should attend Shabbat services. Third and Fourth Grade students are expected to attend at least once a month. Fifth and Sixth Grade students are expected to attend at least twice a month. Students who are less than six months from B Mitzvah should come at least three times a month.

The students and their families should be familiar with the service - the order, what to do when, etc. The congregation should get to know your family and you should get to know the congregants. Leading a Shabbat service for B Mitzvah is not a "performance." It is a way to show family and friends that the student is willing an able to take on Jewish adult responsibilities. It is very helpful when the friends include the congregants. 

SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE B MITZVAH DATE

Before learning to Read Your Torah Selection in Hebrew

Set a Date

Rabbi Jana helps set a date for the B Mitzvah service. The Torah portion is connected to a specific date. Considerations about choosing a date include the student's birthday (Hebrew and Secular), convenience for the family, availability of the synagogue and the Rabbi. 

CONTACT the person in the congregation responsible for assisting with Special Events.

Know the Hebrew for the Shabbat Service

Students should be able to demonstrate the ability to read Hebrew at a level that allows them to comfortably lead the Hebrew of the service.  Once the student can read the Hebrew of the service, they will begin to work on the Torah portion. Ideally they should be comfortable with all of the Hebrew to lead the service at least 6 months before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah date.

Read the whole Torah portion in English

Once a date is chosen, the student should read the translation of the entire Torah portion in English
Rabbi Jana will help you find a helpful English translation of your Torah portion.
Be ready to discuss these with Rabbi Jana:
- Write in your own words what the Torah portion is about.
- Write questions and comments about the Torah portion.
- Write surprising or especially interesting information about things you read in the Torah Portion
After discussing these with the Rabbi, a small part of of the whole portion will be chosen for you to read in Hebrew from the Torah scroll.
 

Learn to Read the Torah in Hebrew

There are a few stages to learning how to read your Torah portion in Hebrew:

First, Rabbi Jana will give you practice materials for you to learn your Torah section with vowels. (Don't be surprised if Rabbi Jana starts you at the end and has you work toward the beginning.)

*Note: traditionally most students do not chant their Torah selection, but if you choose to learn to chant, you will learn with the vowels before trying to chant without vowels.

Then Rabbi Jana will give you practice materials for you to read without the vowels. 

Then Rabbi Jana will take a photo of the Torah selection -from the Torah scroll you will be using for your B Mitzvah. 

You will practice blessing and reading the Torah from the actual scroll, so that you are ready for your B Mitzvah reading.

Helpful Websites for Torah Study

One source Rabbi Jana uses to find the Torah portion for your Bar/Bat Mitzvah date is https://www.hebcal.com/

One online source she uses to find modern English translations of Torah is https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study.

Remember Rabbi Jana posts a lot of helpful study learning/reviewing material here: 
 https://www.hebrewdoc.com/BnaiMitzvahClass.html 

TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE B MITZVAH

FOR THE STUDENT:
Rabbi Jana helps the student prepare their speech for the service. Here are some helpful resources:

OUTLINE FOR WRITING SPEECH / D'VAR TORAH: Basic overview of what should/could be included in the speech. 
    - Extra: How to write a D'var Torah: a guide from the Reform Movement

FROM THE FAMILY:
B'nai Zion and the Rabbi Need This Information to Prepare for the Service

It would be helpful if these forms could be filled-out two months before the B Mitzvah date.

QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDENT & FAMILY: Questions for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Student to help our presenters get to know you a little bit, let Rabbi help choose people to honor, and give us information about the Mitzvah Project, etc.

Candy:

There is a tradition about gently tossing candy at the B Mitzvah during the service. It is not necessary, but some families love it. 

What to Choose:

It is nice if the candy is kosher, but at our congregation, it is not mandatory. It is important that the candy be individually wrapped - so that we don't have a mess from stepped-on or melted candy in the sanctuary.

It is important that the candy not be painful - the B Mitzvah is supposed to know that learning is sweet - not painful. 

A popular choice is Sunkist Fruit Gems. They are individually wrapped, soft, lightweight, OU Kosher, fat-free, peanut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. 

Some people don't like the crinkling sound, so they get other soft (non-melting) candy, put them in little jewelry bags, and toss the little bags. Obviously this is more prep, and more expensive. 

How to Distribute the Candy:

Discuss with the Rabbi about the most comfortable way to distribute the family for your service. Some people have little boxes ready when everyone walks in - that say - do not open until instructed by the Rabbi. Some people have had packages (little boxes or bags) at the corners of the rows - again with instructions about not opening them until instructed by the Rabbi. Some families have younger children hand out candies while we are marching around with the Torah after the Torah is taken out of the Ark. 

Here are examples of the stickers that could go on boxes or bags :

1 card for a basket
10 to a page
30 to a page
[Note: Rabbi Jana has the original files if you want to make changes of font, color, wording, etc.]

When to Toss:

The Rabbi will explain when to toss the candy. It is typically after all important readings are done, which may mean right after Haftarah blessing, or speech. It will be important that the Rabbi removes the Torah from the bimah (pulpit area / "target" area).

Gathering the Candy:

After the tossing is just about done, the Rabbi will call all of the children (or children-at-heart) to gather all of the candy that has been tossed. 

Please Don't Eat During Service:

We do not permit eating during the service, so that there are no messes (either candy in the furniture or carpet, or wrappers on the furniture or carpet).