Jewish Book Mall - Books on Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah

Bar Mitzvah - What you don't need to do

Looking for a good bar/bat mitzvah book?

Nowhere in the Torah does it say that the napkins at the bar mitzvah reception need to match the flowers. It

It really doesn't have to be like that. We think that one of the main reasons that parents go nuts over color schemes and other ultimately less-than-important details is that in many cases, this is all they know how to do. That is, many parents aren't able to work with their children to seriously study the Torah portion or reading from the Prophets or Writings (called the haftarah in Hebrew, commonly pronounced haftorah in Ashkenazi circles). So they throw themselves into the logistics of The Event, and more's the pity. Not only do they not share in the learning that their child is (hopefully) doing, but they drive themselves crazy over all those pesky details.

Here at the Jewish Book Mall, we want to be part of the solution, and yes, we can speak from experience. There are, thankfully, a number of very nice books to help you and your child keep or regain a focus on what a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah is all about. The day should really be your child's first opportunity to participate in the congregation of adults as an adult, most visibly by being called to the Torah for an aliyah and chanting the haftarah, but also by teaching the congregation something about the week's reading. It's not a celebration of the child and whatever his hobby or her favorite color might be. It's about the kids taking their place in the adult community.

Now, having said that, and lest you think we're a bunch of party-poopers here at the book mall, it is also a cause for celebration. Relatives from all over will be coming together, and it is a simcha. So there are also good books to help you plan your simcha so that it is indeed joyous - and, we hope, meaningful. Mazal tov!