Bar mitzvah is a Jewish coming of age ritual for boys, whereas bat mitzvah is the equivalent for girls.
The plural is B’nai Mitzvah for boys or mixed s3x groups, and b’not mitzvah for girls.
According to Jewish law, when a Jewish boy is 13 years old, he becomes accountable for his actions and becomes a bar mitzvah.
A girl becomes a bat mitzvah at the age of 12 according to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and at the age of 13 for Reform Jews.
Before the child reaches bar mitzvah age, parents hold the responsibility for their child’s actions.
What Does Bat/Bar Mitzvah Signify?
Reaching the age of bar or bat mitzvah signifies becoming a full-fledged member of the Jewish community with the responsibilities that come with it.
These include moral responsibility for one’s own actions; eligibility to be called to read from the Torah and lead or participate in a minyan; the right to possess personal property and to legally marry on one’s own according to Jewish law; the duty to follow the 613 laws of the Torah and keep the halakha; and the capacity to testify as a witness in a beth din (rabbinical court) case.
Many congregations require pre-bar mitzvah children to attend a minimum number of Shabbat prayer services at the synagogue, study at a Hebrew school, take on a charity or community service project and maintain membership in good standing with the synagogue.
In addition to study and preparation offered through the synagogue and Hebrew schools, bar mitzvah tutors may be hired to prepare the child through the study of Hebrew, Torah cantillation, and basic Jewish concepts.
History
Many sources indicate that the ceremonial observation of a bar mitzvah developed in the Middle Ages.
Some late midrashic sources, and some medieval sources refer to a synagogue ceremony performed upon the boy’s reaching age thirteen.
Bar mitzvah is mentioned in the Mishnah and in the Talmud.
In some classic sources, the age of 13 appears for instance as the age from which males must fast on Yom Kippur, while females fast from the age of 12.
The age of B’nai mitzvah roughly coincides with physical puberty. The bar or bat mitzvah ceremony is usually held on the first Shabbat after a boy’s thirteenth and a girl’s twelfth birthday (or thirteenth in Reform congregations).
