B’nai Mitzvah
B’nai Mitzvah 09-10 Family Handbook (10 27 09) | Learning Programs | Tzedek and Mitzvah Opportunities | BJ B’nai Mitzvah Application
Simon the Just taught, “The world is sustained by three things: by the Torah (study), by avodah (worship), and by gemilut hasadim (action).”
(Pirkei Avot 1:2)
The journey to becoming a bar/bat mitzvah includes the first steps your child will take toward instilling their commitment to sustaining the world. May this be a fulfilling step on your child’s and your family’s Jewish journey and may your ties to the Jewish community and Jewish tradition be strengthened by it.
At B’nai Jeshurun, this journey officially begins when a child is in third grade and continues through and beyond the child’s thirteenth birthday. Your child’s bar/bat mitzvah is an affirmation of your family’s commitment to Jewish community and education. It is an exhilarating moment in a journey of learning, spiritual growth and commitment to mitzvot. You will discover the rewards of recognizing your child’s steps from childhood towards maturity within the context of a committed Jewish life. And it is holy for us as a community to support and celebrate this transformation with you.
Learning Programs
Shabbat Family Learning Programs
Starting in the spring of fourth grade and continuing throughout sixth grade, all pre-b’nai mitzvah children and their parents are invited to attend special Family Learning Programs for their specific grade. In addition to building familiarity with the b’nai mitzvah process, you will have the opportunity to engage in Torah study with the Rabbis and educators as you learn more about this rite of passage. This is also a very special time for you and your child to learn with his or her community of peers.
Fifth Grade Overnight
All fifth graders attend an overnight at the synagogue in late winter/early spring, beginning with a Havdalah ceremony. Here, students will have an opportunity to get to know each other while engaging in fun activities that promote community-building, learning, worship and social action.
Sixth Grade Retreat
Each spring, sixth graders will attend a weekend long B’nai Mitzvah Retreat. Throughout Shabbat and the weekend students will have a great time bonding while participating in learning, worship and social action opportunities with educators and a rabbi.
Morning Minyan for B’nai Mitzvah Families
Morning minyan is a wonderful opportunity for students and parents to fulfill the mitzvah of wrapping tefillin, practice the structure of Shaharit (the morning service), ask questions, feel comfortable praying, and schmooze with other b’nai mitzvah families. In addition to attending morning minyan the week of your child’s bar/bat mitzvah, we hope you’ll keep in mind that morning minyan takes place every day at BJ, and is an important time to be both counted as a Jewish adult in the community as well as to support others in our congregation who are relying on a quorum of ten to recite the Kaddish for loved ones
The experience of attending morning minyan is enriched by sharing it with other families who are on this journey as well. However, since it may be difficult for some families to attend a weekday morning minyan, we will designate a few Sunday morning minyans to which b’nai mitzvah families will be encouraged to attend.
Tzedek and Mitzvah Opportunities
“A Jew does not believe alone; he or she believes with the community of Israel; and shares an insight of three thousand years of Jewish history… All generations are present in every generation. The community of Israel lives in every Jew. Every Jew, and the individual Jew, can survive only through intimate attachment to involvement in the community” (Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Insecurity of Freedom).
B’nai Mitzvah students are highly encouraged to commit to an ongoing social action/social justice project. BJ provides many opportunities for such involvement with our Social Action/Social Justice Department such as Cooking for the BJ Shelter, BJ Reads and more.
Students may also find projects in the general New York and/or Jewish community. Each year, BJ hosts a Mitzvah Fair where students can meet representatives from groups at BJ as well as a number of organizations that have opportunities for young teenagers to volunteer.