bar and bat mitzvah

bar and bat mitzvah, Jewish religious ritual and family celebration commemorating the entrance into religious adulthood. This coming-of-age ceremony, which entails a child’s first public reading from the Torah during a synagogue service, celebrates the child’s taking on full responsibility to follow the commandments (mitzvot) of Jewish life. Historically, this ceremony was observed only by boys upon turning 13. In certain Jewish congregations, however, especially since the 20th century, girls have also participated. For boys, the ritual and their status upon completion is called bar mitzvah (“son of the commandment”) and for girls the term is bat mitzvah (“daughter of the commandment”).