Lifecycle Events

Jewish life is defined by our lifecycle celebrations and rituals. At Temple Beth Torah, we are here to support you for all these milestones.

Brit Milah (Bris), Naming Ceremony, and Pidyon HaBen

Beginning within days of being born, our newest additions are welcomed into the Jewish community through ritual. Rabbi Lauren provides the following services to celebrate these new, precious lives:

Brit Milah (Bris)

Traditionally, Jewish male children are circumcised on their 8^th day of life in a home ceremony called a Brit Milah, also known as a Bris. Rabbi Lauren is happy to officiate the ceremony in collaboration with a mohel (person who completes the circumcision). Alternatively, Rabbi Lauren is also honored to join you and recite the blessings during a hospital-based circumcision. We recommend reaching out to Rabbi Lauren at least three months prior to your due date to discuss options. It is customary for both members and non-members to provide Rabbi Lauren an honorarium for either ceremony.

Naming Ceremony

Jewish Naming Ceremonies welcome children of all genders into the Jewish community through prayer, song, and giving him/her/they their Hebrew name. A naming is appropriate at any time, although it is often done within the first year of life. Naming ceremonies typically take place in your home, but TBT is happy to host your ceremony in our sanctuary as well. Each ceremony is created especially for your family by Rabbi Lauren.

Please contact Rabbi Lauren to schedule your naming ceremony. It is customary for both members and non-members to provide Rabbi Lauren an honorarium for this celebration.

Pidyon Haben

In ancient times, the Jewish people were required to give their first-born son to God to serve in the Temple. Following the destruction of the Second Temple, this service was no longer needed. To fulfill this commandment in the diaspora, we developed a ceremony called Pidyon HaBen in which we “give” our first-born to a Cohen (a descendent of the Cohenim/Priests) and we then “buy back” our child with symbolic coins. The ritual is filled with song and prayer and is a joyous occasion.

Pidyon HaBen is not typically observed by Reform Jews today. However, Rabbi Lauren can assist you if you would like to hold this ritual. Please contact her to discuss. It is customary to provide an honorarium for this celebration.

Consecration and Confirmation

At Temple Beth Torah (TBT), we bookend our students’ religious school experience with two meaningful ceremonies: Consecration and Confirmation.

Consecration

We celebrate each student who joins our religious school through a special Consecration service. Held during the Jewish Holiday of Simchat Torah (September/October), in which we celebrate the importance of Torah in our lives, our students are consecrated to the Torah by Rabbi Lauren under a huppah (a ceremonial canopy) to mark the beginning of their official Jewish studies. Each student is presented a certificate, a miniature Torah scroll, and chocolate to commemorate the moment and begin their Jewish education with sweetness.

Confirmation

At the conclusion of 10^th grade, our students assist Rabbi Lauren in leading our Shavuot/Confirmation Service (May/June). In addition to leading prayers, our students provide an understanding of what they have learned and how they have grown throughout their religious school experience as they confirm their commitment to Judaism. To commemorate this moment, each student is presented a certificate, a gift, and chocolate.

B-Mitzvah, Bar-Mitzvah, Bat-Mitzvah

Becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is about taking responsibility as a Jewish young adult and making a commitment to participate in Jewish life. At Temple Beth Torah we lovingly refer to B-Mitzvah as the beginning of the Adult-in-Training Program as it marks a teen’s transition from dependent child to independent adult. We view B-Mitzvah as a milestone along our student’s Jewish education path and not an end point as they have only just begun to truly understand what it means to be Jewish.

To celebrate becoming a B-Mitzvah and to demonstrate they are ready, our children lead a Shabbat morning service, bless and read from the Torah scroll, and give a d’var Torah (brief explanation of their Torah portion). It is customary to invite the student’s family and friends to attend this service. Embracing the interfaith attendance at these services, Rabbi Lauren explains everything from the direction of the prayer book pages to the meaning behind some of our most sacred prayers to create a welcoming atmosphere for all B-Mitzvah attendees.

At TBT, we understand that each student is unique and that our students are generally busy these days. While we encourage as much engagement as possible in our religious school and services, we do not require a minimum number of years or specific number of days of attendance in our religious school nor do we require attending a minimum number of services. We do require that your family work with Rabbi Lauren and our B-Mitzvah Coordinator to determine the goals for your student to ensure they are ready and able to achieve this important milestone to the best of their ability. Please contact our B-Mitzvah Coordinator, bnai.mitzvah@bethtorah.net to discuss your child’s becoming B-Mitzvah.

Marriage

Weddings

Mazel Tov on your engagement! Rabbi Lauren provides officiant services for both members and non-members alike, and for all people, including interfaith couples. In addition to the wedding ceremony, Rabbi Lauren meets with each couple several times to help them prepare for marriage itself as well as to get to know the couple as a duo and as individuals. She then works with each couple to create a custom service that represents their personalities and spirituality.

Please contact Rabbi Lauren to discuss and book your wedding ceremony. It is customary for both members and non-members to provide Rabbi Lauren an honorarium for this celebration.

Conversion

Joining the Jewish community is a personal journey. Rabbi Lauren provides conversion services to anyone – members, non-members, all backgrounds and ages – interested in joining the Jewish people. The process includes meeting bi-weekly or monthly with Rabbi Lauren to establish your intentions in becoming Jewish; study of Torah, Jewish life and rituals, and explore your personal theology and spirituality. When you are ready, Rabbi Lauren will convene a Beit Din (Jewish jury) and hold a short ceremony before our Ark to officially complete this process.

Please contact Rabbi Lauren for more information or to begin your conversion process.

End of Life

Rituals and Funerals

Jewish traditions hold us in the final days and moments of life and they hold our families through mourning. Rabbi Lauren is available to visit those at the end of their days to recite psalms, the Vidui (final confession), and other traditional prayers, as needed. She is also available to provide support for your family as you prepare for your loss. If requested, she will remain with your loved one and/or your family through the final moments of life.

When the time comes, Rabbi Lauren is available to officiate funerals – including memorial and/or graveside services – in addition to shivah minyans. To ensure the funeral serves your family’s needs, Rabbi Lauren will spend time with you to learn about the person who has departed this world as well as get to know your family so that she can create a customized service that provides your family the support you need in the moment.

Please contact Rabbi Lauren to discuss further. It is customary for both members and non-members to provide Rabbi Lauren an honorarium for this support.