Bar/Bat Mitzvah The Weeks Before

Rehearsal Schedule

Rehearsals are scheduled during the two weeks preceding the B'Mitzvah service. The second of these rehearsals is a Family Rehearsal in the Sanctuary or the Goodwin Center. The parents of the B’nai Mitzvah students are asked to attend this rehearsal so that they can go over their roles in the services on both Friday night and Saturday morning. At these rehearsals, we run through the entire Saturday morning service with the children, including reading from the Torah scroll and practicing their speech (D’var Torah).

Tallit and Kippah

At BHC, B'Mitzvah students and their families may choose to wear a tallit and kippah. The kippah may be worn at all services, but the tallit should only (with rare exceptions) be worn during the daylight hours. The wearing of a tallit (a prayer shawl) is a mitzvah for Jews of B'Mitzvah age and older; it comes directly from the Torah. The kippah (yarmulke) is of later origin and may be worn by Jews of any age. 

You may purchase a new kippah and tallit for the occasion, use one that’s been passed down in your family, or borrow one from those located near the entrances to our Sanctuary, the Goodwin Center and the Hoffberger Chapel. While the tallit and kippah can enhance the special feeling of the B'Mitzvah service, we hope that it will become a regular part of services that you attend in the future.