what is a bat mitzvah

A bat mitzvah is a coming-of-age ceremony for Jewish girls when they reach the age of 12 or 13. The term "bat mitzvah" means "daughter of commandment" in Hebrew. This ceremony marks the time when a girl becomes obligated to perform the Jewish mitzvot (commandments) and has all the rights and obligations of a Jewish adult. Traditionally, only men were obligated to certain mitzvot, so a Jewish boy would become bar mitzvah (bar meaning "son" and mitzvah meaning "commandment") at age 13, which was considered the age of maturity. Bnai mitzvah is the plural of bar mitzvah, used when multiple people become bar/bat/bet mitzvah. The first-known celebration of a bat mitzvah in North America was that of Judith Kaplan, the daughter of prominent rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, in 1921. Since then, the concept of becoming a bat mitzvah or having a bat mitzvah ceremony has grown and evolved. The bat mitzvah ritual, in varying forms, has become widespread in all movements within Judaism.