| On his 13th birthday, a Jewish boy becomes Bar | | | | a customary to perform the 'Aliya LaTorah' at the |
| Mitzvah. | | | | synagogue: The child is called up to the Torah for the |
| The words "Bar Mitzvah" mean "under the obligation | | | | first time and he reads the Parsha (weekly section) |
| of Torah commandment". | | | | from the Torah scroll and says the appropriate |
| The Bar Mitzvah day is a major turning point in a | | | | blessing. The Aliya LaTorah is usually followed by a |
| Jew's life. It represents the day when a boy | | | | Kiddush- a ceremonial meal served at the synagogue |
| becomes a man, responsible for his own deeds and | | | | at the conclusion of services. |
| committed to fulfill all 613 commandments of the | | | | One of the unique commandments a boy is obliged |
| Torah. Up until this day, a child's deeds, good or bad, | | | | to fulfill, starting from this day on, is the daily |
| are the responsibility of his parents. Therefore, on | | | | commandment of Hanachat Tefilin – the Torah |
| this day the father of the Bar Mitzvah boy recites a | | | | commands the Jew to put on the tefilin on every |
| special blessing Saying:"Baruch She'petarani Me'onsho | | | | weekday "And you shall bind them as a sign upon |
| shel Ze" Blessed is He who dismissed me from this | | | | your arm, and they shall be as totafot between your |
| boy's punishment. | | | | eyes." |
| The Bar Mitzvah is celebrated in a few customary | | | | The tefilin are made of two leather boxes with black |
| ways including a Seudat Mitzvah and an Aliya LaTorah | | | | straps, one for the head and one for the hand, which |
| which is usually followed by a Kiddush. | | | | contain scrolls of parchment with the verses of Kriat |
| On this special day of commitment it is a custom to | | | | shema from the Torah inscribed on them. The tefilin |
| have a celebration which includes a Seudat Mitzvah | | | | remind us of our redemption from Egypt and our |
| –a festive meal. The boy and his family are | | | | commitment to God. It is a custom to start practicing |
| celebrating his entrance into adulthood, and his | | | | the Hanachat Tefilin a month before the Bar Mitzvah |
| obligation to fulfill the Torah commandment entitling | | | | so that on the day that it becomes an obligation the |
| him to its reward in the world to come. | | | | Bar Mitzvah boy will be familiar with and accustomed |
| On the Shabbat of the week of the Bar Mitzvah it is | | | | to all the details related to this Mitzvah. |