Calculate the Bar Mitzvah date
From your child's date of birth: the Hebrew date of their Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, the matching civil date and the Shabbat Torah portion.
Method
How the date is calculated
A Bar Mitzvah follows the Hebrew calendar, not the civil one. These are the rules the calculator applies.
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The day starts at sunset
In the Hebrew calendar, a new day starts at sunset. A child born in the evening is therefore born, by the Hebrew date, on the day after their civil date of birth. That is why the time and city of birth matter.
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13 for a boy, 12 for a girl
A boy's Bar Mitzvah falls on his 13th Hebrew birthday, a girl's Bat Mitzvah on her 12th. Because the Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, that birthday almost never lands on the civil birthday.
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Years with 13 months
Seven years out of nineteen have a second month of Adar. A child born in Adar of an ordinary year celebrates in Adar II by the most widespread custom. A child born in Adar I or Adar II keeps that month if the year of the Bar Mitzvah also has two Adars.
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Months of 29 or 30 days
Cheshvan and Kislev have 29 or 30 days depending on the year. A child born on 30 Cheshvan whose 13th year has no 30 Cheshvan has the Bar Mitzvah on 1 Kislev.
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The next Shabbat's Torah portion
The young person is called to the Torah on the first Shabbat after the Hebrew birthday, or that very day if it is a Shabbat. When that Shabbat falls during a holiday, the holiday's passage is read. In some years, Israel and the Diaspora read a different portion.
FAQ
Questions about the Bar Mitzvah date
At what age is a Bar Mitzvah?
A boy becomes Bar Mitzvah at 13 and a girl Bat Mitzvah at 12, counted by the Hebrew calendar. From sunset on the eve of that Hebrew birthday, the child is responsible for keeping the commandments.
Why isn't the Bar Mitzvah date the same as the birthday?
The Hebrew calendar follows both the moon and the sun. Its months last 29 or 30 days and some years have an extra month. The Hebrew birthday therefore drifts against the civil birthday every year, by a few days to a few weeks.
My child was born in the evening: which date applies?
After sunset it is already the next Hebrew day. Enter the time and city of birth in the calculator: it compares the time of birth with that day's sunset. Between sunset and nightfall the case is doubtful: ask your rabbi.
Does the celebration have to be on the exact day?
No. The child becomes Bar Mitzvah on that date regardless. The call to the Torah often takes place on the following Shabbat, sometimes on a Monday or Thursday, and the party can be held later, on whatever date suits the family.
When should a boy start putting on tefillin?
Customs vary between communities. Many boys start one or two months before their Bar Mitzvah to get used to it, others on the day itself. Your rabbi will tell you your community's custom.
Is the calculation reliable?
The calculator relies on Hebcal, the reference library for the Hebrew calendar, and applies the rules described above. For special cases, such as a birth at dusk or in Adar ahead of a 13-month year, have the date confirmed by your rabbi.
You have the date. Now for the invitation.
An invitation website for the Bar Mitzvah: schedule, addresses, online RSVPs and sharing on WhatsApp.
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