Seventh Grade B'nei Mitzvah
The year leading up to, and entry into a student’s 13th year, is a special time for students and
the entire family. At Temple Adat Shalom, we continually celebrate in a child’s growth, their
accomplishments, and their family’s joy at all seasons of the life cycle. This celebration is
accentuated at a special family b'nei mitzvah camp at Camp Mountain Chai during the 7th grade year.
"Bar Mitzvah" and "Bat Mitzvah" are titles of belonging within the community. At Temple Adat
Shalom, a student doesn’t have a bar or bat mitzvah,they become a bar and bat mitzvah. A
student's preparation to lead a communal worship service, the service itself, their mitzvah
work, their participation in Pardeis, are all outward signs of their readiness to be counted as
part of the community. While many in the American Jewish community see bar/bat mitzvah as a milestone to achieve and walk away from, bar/bat mitzvah is a responsibility for life. It is an entry point into greater participation. At Temple Adat Shalom, it is our expectation that a student continues their study and participation within their temple peer community through 12th grade.
During the seventh grade year our students will be asked to journey along a greater personal exploration of God and spirituality. They will learn the few remaining prayers of our Temple's Shabbat worship service, begin tutorials with an assigned tutor, and become fluent in the Torah portion selection of the week they are invited to lead services. During this milestone year of their development, they also learn about the other life cycle moments of Jewish life. Historical studies take them to the Golden Age of Spain, and bring them up to the sacred city of Jerusalem today - a metaphorical spiritual aliyah - as they take on their role as bar or bat mitzvah. Practice in conversational Hebrew continues, providing our students with a working ability to navigate their way through Israel upon their first (and subsequent!) visits.
Midway through the year, b'nei mitzvah families participate in a Family Camp at Camp Mountain Chai. It is a magical moment of family learning, values clarification, community bonding and for building excitement as our students look ahead to joining the upper grades.
Seventh Grade
Holidays and Symbols
- Create New Holiday Expressions
Prayer and God
- Deeper Exploration of God and Spirituality
- Kedusha
- Nisim B’chol Yom
- Polish All Prayers
Jewish Values
- L’vayat ha Met (Honoring those who have died)
- Hachnasat Kalah (Rejoicing with the wedding couple)
- Ethical Dilemmas and Ethical Wills
Hebrew
- Torah Trope
- Conversational Hebrew
Jewish Customs and Practices
- Life Cyles: Birth, Naming, Brit Milah, B’nei Mitzvah, Wedding, Mourning
Bible and History
- Golden Age in Spain
Israel
- The Culture of Israel
- Geography / Jerusalem Revisited
Jewish Heritage Trip
- B’nei Mitzvah Family Camp
Thu, April 25 2024 17 Nisan 5784
