Bar and Bat Mitzvah "son" (), while "bat" () means "daughter" in Hebrew, and "mitzvah" () means "commandment" or "law" (plural: "mitzvot"). Thus "bar mitzvah" and "bat mitzvah" literally translate to "son of commandment" and "daughter of commandment". However, in rabbinical usage, the word "bar" means "under the category of" or "subject to". "Bar mitzvah" therefore translates to "an [agent] who is subject to the law". Although the term is commonly used to refer to the ritual itself, in fact the phrase originally refers to the person. The modern method of celebrating becoming a bar mitzvah did not exist in the time of the
Adult bar and bat mitzvah Axelrad of Brandeis University officiated the first adult Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in the early 1970s. He encouraged the practice in all denominations of Judaism. Between 1995 and 2001, Hadassah held group adult Bat Mitzvah ceremonies for 180 women. In 2001, the Union for Reform Judaism created a guide on adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah programs which was adopted by 900 congregations. In 2002, the Conservative Movement adopted this guide as well. The process of becoming an adult Bar or Bat Mitzvah involves studying for a year or longer. It consists of Hebrew language, Jewish rituals, Torah readings, and Haftorah