Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/21-07-02.html
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Question 21.7.2:
B'nai Mitzvah: What's a good gift for a b'nai mitzvah?

Answer:

The following are some of the ideas that have been suggested:

Remember that the gift is a celebration of coming of age. The present should be useful throughout the individual's Jewish life. Argues well for a fountain pen, doesn't it :-)

It is a good idea to have the child register at a good Jewish book store so as not to be flooded with duplicate books or gifts. Gift certificates are nice in that they allow multivolume sets to be purchased without having to know the volumes that the child already owns.

Lastly, you should not bring your gift with you to the ceremony (if it is held Friday evening or before sundown on Saturday), especially if you know the child is from a traditional Jewish household. For those that follow traditional halacha, carrying is forbidden on Shabbat [there are some exceptions, but as those vary from community to community, its just best not to carry at all].


The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.

[Got Questions?]Hopefully, the FAQ will provide the answer to your questions. If it doesn't, please drop Email to questions@scjfaq.org. The FAQ maintainer will endeavor to direct your query to an appropriate individual that can answer it. If you would like to be part of the group to which the maintainer directs questions, please drop a note to the FAQ maintainer at maintainer@scjfaq.org.

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© (c) 1993-2004 Daniel P. Faigin <maintainer@scjfaq.org>