{"id":5473,"date":"2018-06-11T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2018-06-11T09:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/2018\/06\/11\/12-ways-to-make-your-bat-mitzvah-meaningful"},"modified":"2018-06-11T12:20:06","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T09:20:06","slug":"12-ways-to-make-your-bat-mitzvah-meaningful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/2018\/06\/11\/12-ways-to-make-your-bat-mitzvah-meaningful\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Ways to Make Your Bat Mitzvah Meaningful"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post suggests a list of 12 ways a Bat Mitzvah girl can make her Bat Mitzvah more meaningful, including Torah learning, taking on specific commandments, doing a community service project, and writing a personal prayer. This list\u00a0<\/em>was published by\u00a0JOFA, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance<\/a>\u00a0and shared on\u00a0Ritualwell<\/a>, a project of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College that provides a platform for creating new Jewish practices and observances.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Twelve Ways to Make Your Bat Mitzvah Meaningful<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Make a\u00a0<\/strong>Siyum<\/strong><\/cite><\/a><\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0A\u00a0Bat Mitzvah\u00a0<\/span>is a time to solidify your commitment to Torah study. So start now! Many Bat Mitzvah girls have made\u00a0siyumim<\/span>\u00a0of a\u00a0seder<\/cite><\/a><\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0Mishnah<\/cite><\/a><\/span>, a chapter of\u00a0Gemara<\/cite><\/a><\/span>, or a book of\u00a0Tanakh<\/span>\u00a0as a way of entering into Jewish adulthood.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Have a Women’s Tefilla<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Learn to\u00a0layen<\/span>, and celebrate this coming of age among female family and friends as you are called to the Torah.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Adopt a Special Mitzvah<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0– As you become a “daughter of\u00a0mitzvot<\/span>,” choose a\u00a0mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0that is special to you, learn about it, and take extra care in performing it throughout the year.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Learn about your Ancestors<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Use this new stage of life to reflect on where you came from. Ask your parents and grandparents about their lives growing up, and learn about your roots.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Speak up in Synagogue<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Many\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0girls now deliver the sermon in synagogue on the Shabbat they celebrate their\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>. The Rabbi often calls the\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0girl to the pulpit and responds to her speech.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Do a Community Service Project<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0What better way to prepare for acceptance of the\u00a0mitzvot<\/em><\/span>\u00a0than to actively engage in them? In preparing for their\u00a0Bat Mitzvot<\/span>, girls have adopted community service projects, such as visiting old age homes, or feeding the homeless.<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Learn About Female Role Models<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0As you become\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>, it is important to have female role models to identify with.\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0girls have studied women in\u00a0Tanakh<\/span>, Talmud\u00a0and Medieval and Modern Jewish history.<\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Write a Prayer<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Use this occasion to write a\u00a0tefilah<\/span>. What are you thankful for? What are your hopes for the future? You can share it with others at your celebration, or keep it for yourself.<\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Donate a percentage of your Bat Mitzvah Money to\u00a0Tzedakah<\/cite><\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0You can start keeping\u00a0mitzvot<\/span>\u00a0right away by giving\u00a0maaser<\/span>, 10% of the money from you receive as gifts for your\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0to a\u00a0tzedakah<\/span>\u00a0that you choose. It will make you feel richer!<\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Study Something Connected to your Name<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Many\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0girls learn something connected to their name for their\u00a0Bat Mitzvot<\/span>. A girl named Ilana may study laws related to trees in\u00a0Tanakh<\/span>, and a girl named Sarah may study the biblical Sarah, as well as famous Sarahs throughout Jewish history.<\/span><\/li>\n
  11. Write it Out<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0After spending time studying a particular text or issue, write it up, and distribute it to the guests at your\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>. You and they will have it forever.<\/span><\/li>\n
  12. Study Something Connected to the Time of your Bat Mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Develop a special connection with the Jewish calendar. If your\u00a0Bat Mitzvah<\/span>\u00a0falls around\u00a0Chanukah<\/span>, study the laws and meaning of\u00a0Chanukah<\/span>. If it falls near a fast day, study the laws pertaining to fast days.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This post suggests a list of 12 ways a Bat Mitzvah girl can make her Bat Mitzvah more meaningful, including Torah learning, taking on specific commandments, doing a community service project, and writing a personal prayer. This list\u00a0was published by\u00a0JOFA, the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance\u00a0and shared on\u00a0Ritualwell, a project of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[219],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5473\/"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post\/"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4\/"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments\/?post=5473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5473\/revisions\/"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2402\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/?parent=5473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/?post=5473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags\/?post=5473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}