Bar and Bat Mitzvahs

Mitzvah, similar to other words in the Hebrew language, conveys more than one meaning.  From a Humanistic Jewish context “acts of goodness” is preferable to “commandments.”  As Jews and humans we have the wonderful power of free will.  While we do not believe that a child becomes as adult as they move into their teen years, we do recognize that this is a time of life when the youth begin to have a range of experiences that have great impact on their sense of self and their relationships with others.  The Mitzvah celebration symbolically marks the beginning of this transition process.

The core element of the Humanistic Jewish Mitzvah celebration is marked by the celebrant’s presentation of a topic from the world of Judaism which they have selected to research and study.  Because of their knowledge of the topic they assume the role of rabbi, or teacher when they share their learning with the congregation of family and friends who have come to honor them on this special day.

As the facilitator of this process Jack with mentor the Mitzvah student in their study and the preparation of their presentation, he will create a meaningful service in conjunction with the honoree and his or her family, and will co-lead the service with the Mitzvah candidate.

Rabbi Jack B. Silver is a Madrikh/Vegvayzer certified by the International Institute of Secular Humanistic Judaism. He received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbinical Seminary International.