Many Jewish girls are taught to read the Torah scroll.
A bat mitzvah is a rite of passage for Jewish girls, typically taking place at age of 13 and coinciding with puberty; a bar mitzvah is the equivalent for boys at age 13. The ceremony recognizes the girl as a Jewish adult who, from then on, is responsible for her actions and, in the Jewish denominations that allow girls to lead religious services, is eligible to lead religious services and read Torah passages to the congregation.
Preparation
As the bat mitzvah represents the girl becoming a Jewish adult of full standing within the community, it is customary to start instructing girls who wish to be confirmed in the Jewish faith years before the event. Jewish families will send girls to Hebrew school and may even hire a private tutor. Hebrew schools accept girls as young as kindergarten age. Synagogues typically require that girls wanting to be confirmed at a bat mitzvah have a minimum of two years of instruction in the Jewish faith and the Hebrew language and be members of the synagogue. Some synagogues also require that girls perform a certain amount of community service.
Synagogue Reading
The religious ceremony portion of the bat mitzvah customarily consists of the girl reading before the congregation during a normal synagogue service. The details may vary depending on the Jewish denomination and on the specific synagogue, but girls may be called to read passages from the synagogue's Torah scroll, lead the congregation in chanting or deliver a speech on a Jewish topic. The girl's family is typically in attendance.
Meal and Party
It is customary to celebrate the bat mitzvah with food and cake. Typically, the family will organize a party with a sit-down meal and invite the girl's extended family and friends. However, more affluent Jewish families will organize lavish formal affairs that are akin to a wedding in scope, complete with a rented reception hall, live band or DJ and a tiered cake. At the event, people will wish the girl "mazel tov", which is a celebratory Hebrew phrase meaning good luck and congratulations.
Gifts
It is customary for the family and friends who have been invited to the bat mitzvah party to each bring the girl a gift in celebration of her official passage into the Jewish faith and womanhood. Gift certificates, cash in multiples of 18 (the numeric symbology for "life" in Hebrew), jewelry, books and candlesticks to use on the Shabbat are all common and appropriate bat mitzvah gifts.
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