The spiritually most significant period of a Jewish teen’s life can be considered his or her B’nai Mitzvah.
B’nai Mitzvah is the celebration that takes place when a kid turns 13 and is deemed ready to observe the religious commandments and eligible to participate in public worship. The day their son or daughter becomes a bar mitzvah (boy) or a bat mitzvah (girl) is a significant turning point for Jewish parents. In recent years, it has evolved into the catalyst for a substantial gathering of loved ones to celebrate.
When organizing a B’nai Mitzvah, it may be necessary to coordinate the ceremony with the synagogue, buy a few kippot, produce a guest guide, and prepare a speech and such. However, whether you want to have a small luncheon or an extravagant feast, it is the details that determine the success of your party.
If you are one of those proud parents looking forward to planning your kid’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah, here are some considerations that you should make.
01. Deciding on a date
Establishing a date for your child’s celebration is the first step in organizing a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
Since Jewish children must finish a specific amount of hours in Jewish day school prior to this celebration, it is imperative to get in touch with the synagogue early on.
Parents typically do so years before their child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah in order to learn more about the program regarding their child’s transition into adulthood. Depending on the size of the congregation, the date may be determined up to three years in advance.
Typically, the date of the B’nai Mitzvah should be closer to your child’s 13th birthday.
02. Reserving a location for the reception
It is crucial to start this search early on. A venue closer to the synagogue would be ideal as the traveling would be more convenient.
When looking for a perfect venue, consider the venues hired by your son’s or daughter’s friends for their celebration. Hunt for places that host kid parties frequently with kid-friendly menus.
If planning the B’nai Mitzvah on a budget, consider having the party in the early afternoon as the venue’s charges can be comparatively less and the lunch menu prices are more flexible.
03. Tutoring
Tutoring is essential since your adolescent should feel at ease and confident to do their readings, and chant blessings, and prayers in front of their family and friends during the Bar/Bat mitzvah.
They must be well tutored on their Hebrew readings and polished with their Torah translation, prior to the occasion. By the time of their Bar/Bat mitzvah, children should be able to understand the significance of prayers and the benefits of Shabbat, etc. Some Bar/Bat mitzvah programs require up to four years of Hebrew and Torah school. Therefore, it is the parent’s responsibility to arrange a comprehensive plan, before their child’s coming of age ritual.
04. Selecting a Tzedakah project
According to Jewish teachings, 10% of our efforts must be devoted to aiding and supporting the underprivileged. It is required by the Torah to perform 613 good deeds. Therefore, many synagogues require your child to take part in a Tzedakah project.
This is a great way to increase the significance of a child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah. This celebration then becomes more meaningful and memorable.
The goal of a Tzedakah project is to create a just and equal world instead of giving charity out of sympathy.
Most children work with neighborhood charities to help clean up their community or assist those in need at homeless shelters. Select a Tzedakah project that is meaningful and interesting to your child. After all, there are hundreds of ways to give back to your society.
05. Preparing a speech
The person celebrating their B’nai Mitzvah should be prepared with a speech highlighting the child’s dedication to Jewish principles and concepts from the Torah. He/ she is also expected to express their gratitude to their parents. The parents should usually utter a few words as well. It is customary to express gratitude to your family and friends and provide praise and congratulations to your son or daughter for making the transition into adulthood.
06. Entertainment for a B’nai Mitzvah
Depending on your budget, there are a variety of entertainment options you can pick from. Whatever you go with, keep in mind to select a good balance of entertainment to enlighten your invitees.
As both adults and youngsters are invited to B’nai Mitzvahs, you don’t want all of the entertainment to be geared toward the children, nor do you want it to only entertain the adults. Therefore, be mindful when selecting the source of entertainment and try to hire entertainment providers who would be ideally relevant to all ages.
A band or a Disk Jockey, dance party games, gaming stations, caricaturists, and photo stations are a few entertainment options for you.
07. Planning the Candle Lighting Ceremony
The practice of lighting candles for a B’nai Mitzvah is very popular.
This tradition commonly begins after dinner has been served. The adolescent whom the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is conducted for lights the candles in honor of significant people in his or her life. Some even have pictures of the honorees around the candles.
The Los Angeles Videographers
The celebrations of a B’nai Mitzvah are full of memorable moments that you’ll want to document with a reliable set of videographers and photographers. You should make sure that every memory is pleasantly captured as your child’s B’nai Mitzvah is a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The Los Angeles Videographers will handle everything from operating the camera during the day to editing video footage, and even interviewing and making video montages of our clients. Our team of experienced Videographers and photographers are strongly creative and have terrific eyes for catching your amazing action at your party. We will recreate your event in a beautiful way by capturing the best footage and editing it into a cohesive story.
To hire a creative team of videographers for your next event, contact the Los Angeles Videographers, now!
