B'nei Mitzvah

program objective

Our specific intended outcomes of the b’nei mitzvah experience are:

• Student and family feel more connected to the Emanu El congregational community
  Leading to a deepened engagement with the congregation
• Student and family find personal meaning in, and connection to, the ritual of bar/bat mitzvah
  Leading to a continued investment in the development of their Jewish identities
• Student engages in meaningful acts of Jewish learning and teaching
  Leading to the exciting discovery that Jewish learning can enrich his/her life
• Student feels pride for having accomplished something challenging (the bar/bat mitzvah should be, for each student, a task that was difficult but not impossible)
  Leading to a sense of self-confidence and pride in Judaism
• Student has a sense of familiarity and ownership with a core set of Jewish prayer
  Leading to increased confidence in Jewish prayer settings

Eligibility

In order to become a bar/bat mitzvah and lead services at Emanu El, students are required to be enrolled in Helfman Religious School and: 

• Regularly attend 7^th grade classes (or the religious school class in which they are placed during their b'nei mitzvah year)
• Attend Tuesday/Thursday b'nei  mitzvah preparation classes for approximately six months (48 sessions) prior to their ceremony
• Attend Tuesday Gesher classes if they are already in 7th grade until they enter the b'nei mitzvah program
• Have completed a minimum of three years of Hebrew classes - students enrolled in public or private school must begin Hebrew classes at Helfman Religious School in 4th grade; students enrolled in a Jewish day school must attend Helfman Religious School in 6th grade
• The family of the student must be current on its financial membership commitments (see page 13 of the B'nei Mitzvah Parent Handbook for a complete list of fees per the temple's by-laws)

Students are strongly encouraged to continue their Jewish studies at Helfman Religious School through the 12^th grade. 

B'NEI MITZVAH PRAYERS


ADONAI S'FATAI

AHAVAH RABBAH

AVODAH

AVOT V'IMAHOT

CANDLE BLESSING- READ

CANDLE BLESSING- SUNG

EVENING KIDDUSH

G'VUROT- SUMMER

G'VUROT- WINTER

HAFTARAH- AFTER BLESSING

HAFTARAH- BEFORE BLESSING

HAMOTZI

K'DUSHAT HASHEM

K'DUSHAT HAYOM

L'CHI LACH

MI CHAMOCHA- FRIEDMAN

MI CHAMOCHA- NICHOLS

MI CHAMOCHA- SIMMONS

MODIM

MORNING KIDDUSH

SHEHECHEYANU

SH'MA

TALLIT BLESSING

T'FILAT HADERECH

TORAH- AFTER BLESSING

TORAH- BEFORE BLESSING

V'AHAVTA

V'SHAMRU

YISM'CHU

YOTZER