Logistics for BE Mitzvah Parents
Shabbat Evening Service
Shabbat Evening Service begins promptly at 6:30 pm on Friday evening. Mother and female family members are invited to light the candles at the Shabbat evening service. BE Mitzvah will chant the Kiddush and Motzi.
Shabbat Morning Service
Time of Service: The BE Mitzvah service is part of our regular Shabbat worship. The service begins promptly at 10:30 am on Saturday morning and ends approximately 12:15 pm.
Siddur: Mishkan T’filah, the temple’s Shabbat prayer book, is our siddur for Shabbat morning services.
Torah Service
We encourage the BE Mitzvah students to chant approximately 9 to 21 verses of Torah. The total number of Aliyot will be determined by how many verses of Torah your child is able to learn. Students sharing a BE Mitzvah date will each chant 9 verses of Torah. Cantor Elana will discuss the number of Aliyot with each individual family. If there are remaining verses not read by students, they can be read by family members.
The BE Mitzvah family is welcome to invite family and friends of the Jewish faith, and members of the congregation to have the honor of an Aliyah (blessings over the reading of the Torah). The BE Mitzvah and the parents usually recite the last and second to last blessings respectively. Please provide the names of the honorees and and aliyot’s Hebrew names to BE Mitzvah coordinator not later than 10 days prior to the morning service.
Service Supplement
The temple provides a printed supplement/program with basic information on the Torah and Haftarah portions, the BE mitzvah, family and friends taking part in the service, a detailed guide to the service, and transliterated prayers and songs. Please provide the names of the honorees and and aliyot’s Hebrew names to BE Mitzvah coordinator not later than 10 days prior to the morning service.
Class Representatives and Class Gift
Your and your student will be parent and class representatives for the BE Mitzvah service preceding your own on the calendar. Please arrive by 10:15 am, usher and hand out service supplements from 10:15 am till 10:45 am, and join the morning service. Your and your student will be called to the bimah at the end of the service. Students will congratulate and present the class gift to the BE Mitzvah and parents will present community gifts. If you will not be able to attend, please let the BE Mitzvah coordinator know in advance. Please consider inviting your class representative to join your after-service celebration.
Every student in the class will receive a Class Gift—a menorah in the tree of life design. The class gift is a tradition started 24 years ago to simplify and standardize gift-giving to feel qauitable and hazzle free for families. The cost of this gift is included in the BE Mitzvah Fee.
BE Mitzvah Fee
The BE Mitzvah fee is $3,000, payable in three payments of $1,000 on July 1 prior to the start of the fifth, sixth, and seventh-grade years. This fee covers the costs related to BE Mitzvah preparation and your service, including time with the clergy, one-on-one tutorial, staff assistance, professional security, sound technician, service supplement printing, video recording of morning service, event support, and a class gift. This fee will not cover your child’s registration for the temple’s education program.