Question:

I am a young adult woman, not affiliated with any branch of Judaism. I have heard of adults becoming bar/bat mitzvah and am enquiring whether this is possible with Chabad, because I am interested in this possibility for myself.

Answer:

A Jewish girl becomes bat mitzvah at the age of twelve. On your twelfth Jewish birthday you reached adulthood and became responsible for your actions, whether you were treated to an official ceremony or not.

Nevertheless, you can still do a ceremony now, it is never too late. Speak to your local Chabad rabbi about how you can go about it.

Whether celebrating your bat mitzvah at the age of 12 or at the age of 82, the underlying idea remains the same: Becoming bat mitzvah is not so much about the ceremony with pomp and all the details associated with it, it is more of an inner spiritual state of being. When you turned twelve, you became a woman, mature enough to be responsible for the most important task of observing the mitzvot, the commandments which G‑d gave us all at Sinai, and of continuing the beautiful traditions, your heritage, which have been passed on mother to daughter since time immemorial.

One such tradition, a most empowering and beautiful observance and one that is unique to women, is lighting Shabbat candles Friday evening before the onset of Shabbat. Click here for more info on this special mitzvah.

Mazal tov!

Chani Benjaminson,
Chabad.org