All of the rituals we have come to expect a Jewish child to perform to commemorate their entry into Jewish adulthood, like reading Torah or having an aliyah, delivering a d’var Torah (speech) or performing a mitzvah project, are all ways to make the bar or bat mitzvah lifecycle event more meaningful and memorable - but they are not required.
Based on this explanation, there is nothing specific that one has to do ritually - that includes attending Hebrew School, reading Hebrew, chanting Torah or Haftarah, or leading prayers.Ĭontrary to popular opinion, a Jewish child does not have to be called to the Torah for an aliyah to become a bar or bat mitzvah. Technically, a Jewish child does not have to do anything to become bar or bat mitzvah - they only have to be alive and reach that milestone birthday. Phonetic Hebrew Reading (English Transliteration)Ī Jewish boy becomes a bar mitzvah on his 13th birthday and a Jewish girl becomes a bat mitzvah on her 12th birthday (some observe the 13th birthday for girls also).