ב' לחודש הראשון תשע"ג
OK, People, one more time...
"Bar-Mitzvah" is not a verb.
One is not bar-mitzvah-D. (Oy!) One becomes a bar-mitzvah.
Nothing magical happens in a ceremony. A boy simply turns 13 years old. Sure, it's special day, because it is the first time he is obligated to many misswoth (commandments) and can count in a minyan, and thus is an even more integral part of the community than before he turned 13.
If you're 80 years old, and want to have a ceremony, because you have never gone up to the Torah, or put tefillin on or whatever else you have never done before, then have at it. But call it what it really is: Your first aliyah to the Torah,...or first whatever. Have a qiddush, or even a special meal. Why not?
But, I recommend that such a ceremony or like experience not be an ending point for your Jewish learning and growing connection to your Jewish heritage and community. They are yours, you a part of them, and they a part of you.
What are you going to do to keep them going?
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