The Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation actually begins when your son/daughter is in the 3rd grade. During weekday Hebrew School, the cantor teaches liturgy which includes the chanting of the Torah and Haftarah blessings, the chanting of the Kiddush, and the chanting of various prayers of the morning Shabbat service.

Students meet on Monday afternoons with Cantor Schechtman in small groups (8 or less) as part of a rotation in their 7th grade curriculum. During these sessions, she is able to assess their progress and encourage them to continue working on fluency and comfort with the Hebrew and the chanting.

During those lessons, students are reviewed on the prayers of the service and the individual Torah and Haftarah portions which they should be practicing at home with their tapes. It is imperative that students work at home daily on their preparation, and parental support and guidance is essential to their success.

Our goal is to have every student ascend the bima with confidence and with the satisfaction of having risen to the challenge as he/she takes his/her place in the Jewish community.

The week of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah itself, there will be a rehearsal in the sanctuary for the entire family. On the Friday evening before the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child is called to the bimah (raised platform in the sanctuary) to lead the Kiddush (blessing over the wine) for the congregation. In addition, the mother of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah lights the Shabbat candles in the sanctuary and recites the blessing over them.

The Saturday morning service, which is open to the entire congregation, begins at 10:45am and is filled with much anticipation, beauty and a wealth of emotions.

Family and friends come from near and far to witness this rite of passage for our young people, and the excitement of the occasion is sometimes overwhelming.

We, at Temple Beth Am, strive to maintain the religious significance and dignity of the occasion by keeping the focus on the service and translating that reverence into acts of lovingkindness.

While we encourage families to celebrate in whatever manner suits their personalities and their lifestyles, we remind them, too, that the importance of this rite of passage lies in the words, music and meaning of the Shabbat morning service.