“This moment of my Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem is something I was looking for but never seemed to fulfill. The funny thing is that after ten years of trying, this year things just fell into place. Friends spoke to friends. Things fell into place. It is unreal the way it all has happened. What I have learned from my studies is that the ‘unreal’ world is the world of soul and that the world of soul is reality.
I want to share a midrash that brought things together for me with a striking image. In learning about the relationship of Shabbat to the six days of creation we read in Midrash Rabbah: ‘This may be compared to a king who made a bridal chamber which he plastered, painted and adorned. Now what did the bridal chamber lack? A bride to enter. Similarly, imagine a king who made a ring. What did it lack? A signet. What did the world lack? Shabbat.’
I love the image of the signet on the ring which is its essence and brings character and meaning to the ring itself. I now know that I am searching for the signet of who I am.”
~ Millicent Auerbach, Bat Mitzvah
As learning opportunities for women increase, adult women are seeking ways to celebrate their entrance into traditional Jewish learning. TAL TORAH’s Adult Bat Mitzvah Program opens the gates to the palace of Jewish learning that is their heritage and the foundation of Jewish life. Inside the palace await treasures that enliven the heart, inspire the soul and challenge the mind. For each individual and/or group, TAL TORAH designs a personalized learning program that encompasses the richness of traditional Jewish texts and includes classes on Tanach, Jewish thought, Halacha, Midrash and Chassidut. In addition, some women learn to chant Torah, Haftorah or the Megillot.
Women celebrate their adult Bat Mitzvah in a variety of ways, both private and public, as suits the individual and her family. However she chooses to mark this special moment in her life of commitment to the Jewish people, each woman is assured the opportunity to discover anew the treasure of her own soul.
TAL TORAH offers adult Bat Mitzvah learning in English and Hebrew.