In Jewish tradition, religious adulthood begins at 13 years and one day for boys and 12 years and one day for girls, ages established in rabbinic law. *Bar mitzvah*, Aramaic for “son of the commandment,” marks the moment when a boy becomes responsible for observing the *mitzvot*, the commandments of the Torah. The corresponding term for a girl is *bat mitzvah*, “daughter of the commandment.”
For centuries, reaching this age involved little ceremony. A boy might be called to the Torah, while his father recited a blessing acknowledging his son’s new responsibility for his own actions. From the late Middle Ages onward, these practices developed into a distinct rite of passage, particularly among Ashkenazi Jews. Sephardi communities had different customs, often emphasizing the boy’s first wearing of *tefillin*.
Today, a bar mitzvah commonly includes an *aliyah*, or being called to the Torah, the reading of a Torah portion and *Haftarah*, and a *devar Torah*, a reflection on the meaning of the texts. It is often followed by a *kiddush* and a celebration with family and community.
Ceremonies for girls expanded during the 20th century, particularly within Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism. The bat mitzvah gradually developed rituals paralleling those of boys, although practices continue to differ among Jewish communities.
The ceremony itself does not create religious adulthood: this status comes automatically upon reaching the prescri