B'nei Mitzvah
Temple Sinai provides a rich experience of Judaic growth, learning and meaning for our students and their families in preparation for the celebration of becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
We Work Hard To Provide A Warm And Welcoming Experience For The Whole Family
Becoming a Bar, Bat or Brit Mitzvah (an inheritor of the commandment) is a beautiful next step on the journey of Jewish living. At Temple Sinai, we create a service that focuses on the individual family and that highlights the achievement of the student in a non-stressful, joyous, and inclusive celebration of Jewish faith and values. Our B’nei Mitzvah services are on Shabbat morning at 10:30 AM. We also offer a Minchah (Shabbat afternoon) service which begins some time between 4:00-5:00 PM. We strive to ensure that this milestone will be a joyful, educational, and meaningful experience for your family. Our clergy, staff and tutors are committed to making sure that this lifecycle event is spiritually uplifting and that each and every family feels a personal connection with the Torah and with Temple Sinai.
Our team will work with you every step of the way, from ensuring that your child feels prepared and confident to coordinating a celebration at Temple Sinai to making the journey leading up to the day as meaningful as possible. If you’d like to request a date and talk more about the B’nei Mitzvah experience, please call the Sinai office (303) 759-1827 or email one of the rabbis directly: rabrheins@sinaidenver.org or rabbishields@sinaidenver.org.
WHAT IS A BAR/BAT MITZVAH?
Bar and Bat are gendered words in Aramaic and Hebrew that mean “son” and “daughter,” respectively, and these words signify being a part of a category or group. Mitzvah is a Hebrew word that means “commandment.” Mitzvah is also commonly used to mean “good deed” because we know that the Torah’s commandments are intended to get us to perform good and loving deeds. Blending these two meanings, we see that Judaism is a belief system that commands us to do good in this world. Becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah means a young man or woman is now responsible for observing the commandments (mitzvot).
Judaism teaches that a person who reaches the age of thirteen is old enough both to be responsible for acting ethically and morally and can demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental rituals, practices and principles of Judaism. In acknowledgment of their commitment and dedication to Jewish living, the community gives the Bar/Bat Mitzvah the honor of leading us in Shabbat morning or afternoon worship and reading from the Torah. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is also counted in a minyan (the quorum of ten individuals that according to Jewish ritual law constitutes communal worship).
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WONDERFUL SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
THE JEFFREY O. ROSENBERG MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The Jeffrey O. Rosenberg Memorial Scholarship for Jewish Studies was created by his family to honor his memory and to sustain his passion for Jewish scholarship and culture. Each year this scholarship will support B’nei Mitzvah tutoring for families who will benefit from the assistance.
This fund provides up to two students with $500 each for B’nei Mitzvah tutoring.
To apply: The student’s family should submit a letter to Lisa Thorner, Executive Director at lisa@sinaidenver.org.
DANIEL AARON LIPSON MEMORIAL IST SCHOLARSHIP
To honor the memory and legacy of Daniel Lipson, his family is establishing the Daniel Aaron Lipson Memorial IST Scholarship. Daniel was a young man of tremendous talent and passion and he dearly loved his Israel Study Tour (IST) experience. Knowing that even though Temple Sinai grants each graduated Confirmation student $1,000 to help offset the costs of the 5-week tour (1 week in Poland and 4 weeks in Israel), the overall cost of the trip can be prohibitive to families with limited financial resources.
In order to help more students enjoy the tremendous IST experience, the Daniel Aaron Lipson Memorial IST Scholarship will grant $1,000 to two Temple Sinai IST participants each year. The scholarship will be a needs-based award.
To apply: The student’s family simply has to write a letter noting their need. Please send all applications to Lisa Thorner, Executive Director, at lisa@sinaidenver.org.
B'nei Mitzvah Resources
B’nei Mitzvah is a sacred journey of learning and growth.
Through the exploration of our Jewish texts, students deepen their understanding and develop a more mature, personal connection to Judaism. This milestone also marks a meaningful transition for the entire family, as a member of the household reaches a new stage of responsibility and accountability. The resources below serve to help guide families through the B’nei Mitzvah process.
B'nei Mitzvah Parent and Student Handbook
The B’nei Mitzvah Parent and Student Handbook is a comprehensive guide for families, offering a clear and structured overview of the entire B’nei Mitzvah journey. From first steps to the celebration itself, it provides the information and guidance families need to navigate each stage with confidence.
Prayers
Listen to the prayers that we sing, chant, and read at Temple Sinai here.
Learn To Chant Torah
Learning to chant Torah doesn’t have to be an insurmountable challenge. Whether you are one of our wonderful Bar/Bat Mitzvah students or an adult learner wanting to take on a new learning endeavor, YOU CAN DO IT!
Click here to listen to audio recordings of the Torah and Haftarah trope, from Behrman House’s The Art of Cantillation.
Purchase a copy of The Art of Torah Cantillation, Vol. 1: A Step-by-Step Guide to Chanting Torah and learn to chant Torah.
Purchase a copy of The Art of Cantillation, Vol. 2: A Step-by-Step Guide to Chanting Haftarot and M’gilot and learn to chant Haftarah.
Trope, or Cantillation, serves three main purposes:
- Trope provides a MELODY to our ancient texts, preserving a tradition that goes back hundreds if not thousands of years, providing a musical illustration of the words.
- The trope tells you where the ACCENT falls on any Hebrew word.
- Finally, trope provides a system of PUNCTUATION. Because the Torah scroll itself is only written with consonants, there could be many ways to interpret where sentences begin and end. And that’s exactly how it was long ago. Different communities would divide up the sentences in their own ways. By the end of the 9th century of the Common Era, an accepted, standardized punctuation to the Torah was adopted, which is the one we use today!
Our Clergy Are Here For You
The Temple Sinai community is here to support you through all life’s moments from big to small. We provide each family with a unique and personalized experience guided by Jewish wisdom and tradition. Please let us know how we can help guide you through this meaningful moment.
If you have any questions or would like to talk more about how we mark moments with meaning together, please contact Rabbi Rheins or Rabbi Shields.
Note that for those who are Temple Sinai members, there is no clergy fee for any lifecycle ceremony.
Rabbi Richard Rheins
Senior Rabbi
Rabbi Michael Shields
Associate Rabbi