B'nei Mitzvah at TBZ

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Click for the TBZ Bnei Mitzvah Handbook. Click here for B’nei Mitzvah Programming for 2017-2018.

Click here for Steps to a Successful Simcha at TBZ

At TBZ, becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a multi-year process. It is an opportunity to learn and grow and to share your special talents, abilities, and interests. The years leading up the celebration of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah offer a time to examine or re-examine one’s connection to Judaism, the Jewish people, and Jewish spiritual life.

In order to ensure a wonderful, meaningful B’nei Mitzvah experience for students, their families and the community, TBZ generally requires candidates to:

Be an active member for two years
Attend Tfilot Mishpachot services approximately twice a month
With their parent(s)/guardian(s), attend study sessions with the Rabbis and other B’nei Mitzvah families once a month
Attend at least one Friday evening service
Meet at least three times with the Rabbis to develop their D’var Torah
Sponsor a kiddush following the B’nei Mitzvahservice
Improve the World by developing and performing a B’nei Mitzvah Tzedakhproject and by performing a number of smaller Mitzvot.

On their appointed date*, B’nei Mitzvah lead the congregation in worship, read selections from the Torah and Haftarah portions, and deliver a D’var Torah, a mini-sermon that interprets the text. TBZ will match each student with a private tutor, who will teach the student how to chant their texts, help the student to gain comfort with the Shabbat prayers, and if needed will help the student to write their D’var Torah.

Other opportunities for the B’nei Mitzvah cohort include:

Havdalah and movie nights
Special workshops on the mitzvot of tallit and tefillin
Field trips, including to the Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh,

The shul asks the B’nei Mitzvah family to support our community efforts to ensure a meaningful B’nei Mitzvah experience, by making a financial contribution to the shul.

* Many families choose to celebrate their simcha on Shabbat morning at TBZ. However, we are eager to fashion the right kind of service to fit your needs.

The following Agreement must be completed before starting the Bnei Mitzvah Program:

B’nei Mitzvah Fee and Contract

A Bar/Bat Mitzvah is an important life event for the entire family and a great joy for the congregation. To assure that all runs smoothly, it is important that you carefully read and understand the financial procedures associated with a TBZ Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

The date for your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah will be reserved and entered onto the synagogue calendar after you have returned the signed B’nei Mitzvah contract along with a minimum 10% deposit ($150) of the B’nei Mitzvah program fee.

The B’nei Mitzvah program fee is $1500 payable over two years. The fee must be paid in full at least sixty (60) days prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah date. In addition the family must be current with all other financial obligations owed to TBZ sixty (60) days prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah date.

Abatements are available for those experiencing financial hardships. Please be in touch with our Executive Director, Steven Greenberg for a confidential meeting.

The Fee includes:

A first meeting at the beginning of the process to set up a date and clarify expectations with one of our rabbis.
Monthly (during school year) meetings on Shabbat: On Shabbat after services parents and the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child will participate in a learning program with rabbis, over two years prior to Bar/Bat Mitzvah (during 6th and 7th grade). The family is expected to continue attending the monthly meetings until the school year ends even though the Bar/Bat Mitzvah may have taken place earlier in the year.
Experiential learning sessions planned especially for the B’nei Mitzvah group.
Help finding a private tutor to teach the student and continued communication between rabbis and tutor.
A meeting (by family or together with other families having their simcha around the same time). This meeting will be scheduled to be 3-4 months prior to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. The goal of this meeting will be to talk about the last steps of preparations for the event and to check in the progress of the learning.
Following this meeting, individual meetings with rabbis to help working on the D’var Torah, service, etc.
Supervised rehearsals in the Sanctuary during the 3 weeks prior to Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

The Fee of the B’nei Mitzvah program does not include:

Individualized tutoring in Hebrew and Torah trope.
Cost of the kiddush following the service.
Custodial charges if the celebration is not on Shabbat.
The fee for drumming during the service.
Floral arrangements in the Sanctuary.
Rental of function hall for evening event or private meals or any Kiddush not taking place immediately following Shabbat morning service.