Services the Week of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah has two additional opportunities to share the experience with the Beth Jacob community, by participating in both the Thursday morning minyan and the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service during the Bar/Bat Mitzvah week.
Monday or Thursday Morning Minyan: Part of the expectation for b’nai mitzvah families is that your child will participate in either the Monday or Thursday morning minyan (at 7:15AM) in the week prior to their simcha, either to receive an aliyah or to read Torah, surrounded by the minyan community and their family and friends. Please arrange your participation in advance with Rabbi Allen.
It is customary for the bar/bat mitzvah family to provide a small breakfast for those attending. The family should plan on about 15 regular minyan attendees in addition to any family and friends who will attend.
Breakfast can be as simple as coffee cake, juice, and coffee, with the necessary paper goods. Some families bring additional items to add to the breakfast: bagels and cream cheese, lox, muffins, Entemann’s donuts, and cut fruit are a few common examples. Please be aware that any prepared foods you bring must be sealed and hekhshered, and that you will need appropriate paper goods and plasticware.
Coffee can be obtained the morning of the minyan in a to-go box from most coffee shops, and usually includes cups, creamer, and sweeteners; one box of coffee is generally sufficient. Coffee shops prefer to be called in advance to order this to-go coffee.
It is most helpful if you bring the foods for breakfast the day beforehand, plate them, and set them up on a cart in the walk-in cooler so they are ready to be brought out near the end of morning minyan.
It is also important to assign someone to put out the breakfast foods. Since you will be participating in services in the chapel, and the breakfast takes place immediately after services, it’s important to have someone else who can put out and/or plate the food and paper goods so they are ready at the end of services. Most often, families will ask one or more friends of the family to help to put out the food and to help clear it after the breakfast. If you are having difficulty or need help finding someone to put out the breakfast, please contact Sean Murphy in advance, and we will assist in finding someone to put out the breakfast.
If you wish to provide something more for breakfast, please be in touch with Sean Murphy at least two weeks in advance to arrange for our kitchen staff to provide and serve breakfast.
Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat Service: The Bar/Bat Mitzvah will participate in Kabbalat Shabbat, again as arranged with Rabbi Allen. Often the student will have learned one or more prayers as part of the Friday night service and will be invited to participate by leading those tefilot. Families may then have Shabbat dinner at home or in the shul. See Hosting Events at Beth Jacob.