Ritual & Liturgy:
Bat Mitzvah

Submitted by Jennifer A. Horowitz
email address: jah69@columbia.edu

If the bat-mitzvah girl is not going to be reading the entire Torah portion herself (i.e., different readers chant different aliyot), it's nice to have her mom read the aliyah during which the girl is called up to the Torah for the first time. This is a nice way to show that the parent is indeed entering her child into Torah (as the prayer recited at her baby-naming anticipated), and it's really a very touching way to share this special moment.

Since the bat-mitzvah girl usually chants the Haftarah, she will probably be given the Maftir as her first Aliyah.

The Maftir is usually pretty brief, so Mom will find it easier to learn between phone calls to the caterer, etc.!

Even if Mom doesn't know the cantillation, she can try to memorize the melody just for those few verses off a tape.

Then, when the girl is called up to the Torah by name for the first time, Mom will be standing there next to her: The daughter will say the appropriate blessing, and the mother will do the reading.

Now they can each be proud of the other - but watch out for flying candy!

A number of families have done this at the Women's Tefillah groups where I've worked; presumably, the equivalent can be done at bar-mitzvahs, too!