FAQ
We hope that you will find satisfactory answers to your questions. We have tried to answer a great number of frequently asked questions and you are invited to contact us with any unanswered questions or for any other matter from Sunday thru Thursday from 8 am till 4pm.
Call: 718-7040-112 / 972-54-7770695 / 972-54-25770-41 ( english)
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Why hold a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Masada?
· How Many Ceremony Options Are There?
· How Far Ahead Should Bar Mitzvah Arrangements Be Made?
· What Should Be Brought from Home for the Aliyah to the Torah?
· The Men's Gallery and the Women's Gallery
Why hold a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Masada?
There are a number of reasons why Masada is a great place to plan a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
- Masada is first and foremost the venue of the Jews' ancient struggle for independence. In Israel, it stands as the symbol of Jewish courage and her unswerving determination never to relinquish that independence ever again. IDF soldiers are sworn in to active duty and complete their graduate ceremonies on the mountain top.
- The scenery is absolutely priceless, as is the unique air that is found only along the shore of the Dead Sea.
- The location is convenient to numerous other outstanding nearby tourist attractions which can fill the rest of family's day, once your son or daughter has joined the rest of the adult Jewish world.
- Most of all, Masada provides the kind of meaningful experience that can be found nowhere else on earth. The sacred ceremony is conducted in a setting where hundreds of other Jewish feet have trod and hands have touched the archaic stones thousands of years before.
- The Bar Mitzvah is a unique encounter in which the past meets the future. On one hand - there is the family tradition, the version and customs, and on the other hand – the young boy's dreams and hopes for an event in which for the first time he is "the star". We warmly recommend that the young boy is properly prepared for his bar mitzvah to read from the torah and to lay tefillin. He should also receive a background concerning his coming of age and his obligation to do mitzvahs.You can contact us to receive information about our recommended bar mitzvah preparation institute closest to your home. Our site can provide you with additional information about all matters of significance connected with the bar mitzvah. Click here
- In order to that all family members are in accord regarding the nature of the bar mitzvah, and that the event will be of true significance and value for the parents, grandparents and of course for the excited bar mitzvah boy himself, we warmly recommend that you have a family "get together" to discuss the matter a number of weeks preceding the bar mitzvah itself. Prior knowledge of what's ahead will spare you much tension and stress during the event itself, and will permit you to enjoy the event in the spirit and way of your choice.
- Bar Mitzvah - The Son of Mitzvah is a young boy of 13 years of age according to the Jewish calendar. The Gregorian and Jewish dates don’t usually correspond, therefore when deciding the date for the bar mitzvah celebrations for your son, check to find out when he will be 13 years of age according to the Jewish calendar.You can check this on our site. Click here
How Many Ceremony Options Are There?
There are four possibilities:
- Sunrise Ceremony – Mounting Masada from the eastern side (Dead Sea), contingent upon a special operation of the cable car involving extra cost. The ceremony can take place in the ancient synagogue.
- Sunrise Ceremony – Mounting Masada from the western side (via the Roman Ramp, approach from Arad), the ceremony can take place in the ancient synagogue.
- An 8 am Ceremony - The ceremony can take place in the ancient synagogue up until 9:30 am.
- A Ceremony in the Beis Midrash or Zealots Dwelling – commencing at 9:30 am until site closure.
How Far Ahead Should Bar Mitzvah Arrangements Be Made?
- We recommend coordinating arrangements for the Bar Mitzvah as early as possible in order to permit us to make proper arrangement at our end.
What Should Be Brought from Home for the Aliyah to the Torah?
- Laying Tefillin: If for any reason whatsoever you do not have the possibility to purchase tefillin for your son, The Dead Sea Chabad House will lend him a set for tefillin to allow him to lay them. The "Bar Mitzvah Center" will be happy to assist in this matter.
- Torah Scroll: Masada has at the disposal of the congregant's two torah scrolls. The Torah scrolls are located in the Holy Ark inside the ancient synagogue.
- Prayer books and Yarmulkes: The congregants have at their disposal prayer books of different versions, provisory yarmulkes and even wraps for cases when someone is not dressed in fitting with the nature of the place. Of course it would be far more pleasant to wear a "proper" fabric yarmulke and to be wrapped in a Tallis belonging to the family, but we will leave this matter up to you.
- It is Jewish tradition to lay tefillin and be called up to the torah when there is a minyon (quorum) of men, during the Shaharis (morning) service on Mondays, Thursdays or Rosh Chodesh (New Month). On numerous occasions, when the Bar Mitzvah boy is not used to lengthy prayers, the family can select to perform just "the laying of Tefillin" of "the reading from the torah". In such a case, the service will be much shorter and will include only the main essential prayers.
If you have decided to have and Aliyah (read of the torah) on a Shabbat, you can lay tefillin on Masada on any day of the week except for Shabbat, the intermediate days of Sukkos and Pesach, when tefillin are not donned.
We will be happy to assist you in choosing the correct manner in which you will celebrate the Bar Mitzvah.
- In principal one can lay tefillin or read from the Torah during the whole of the day. But it is customary to lay tefillin and read from the Torah during the Shaharis (morning) service which should be completed by the "mid day". The time of "Mid Day" varies according to the season of the year, and the times of sunrise and sunset.
- The synagogue is at the disposal for Bar Mitzvah ceremonies from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. After this time ceremonies are held in the Beis Midrash or in the zealot's dwellings until 4:00 pm at which time the site will close. The Synagogue's equipment (Torah scrolls, tallises and tefillin) are at the disposal of congregants until closing time.
The Men's and Women's Galleries
- As in all places of Jewish worship, prayers are held with separation between men and women. On Masada there is a portable dividing screen that separates the men's and women's galleries. It should be noted that all the Bar Mitzvah on Masada are arranged in advance so that every event is intimate and personal and that the mothers can hear and participate in the exciting event.
- For many families it is customary to celebrate Bar Mitzvahs on Monday, Thursday and Rosh Chodesh. This is due to the fact that the Torah scroll is taken out for reading on these days. These are particularly busy days on Masada and many families from all over the country arrive at Masada, travelling great distances, waiting in line to ascend by cable car. All these combined factors create a certain load. It is quite possible that there may be some delays in your schedule. Please accept this graciously.
In such cases that you have decided to hold the reading of the Torah on Shabbat in some other location, it is quite possible for you to arrive at Masada and lay tefillin on any weekday with the exception of intermediate days (Hol Hamo'ed).
How Much Does a Bar Mitzvah Cost on Masada?
- The ascent to Masada is against payment that is varied and depends on the means of access, whether by cable car or by foot etc.
- During the summer the sun is blistering hot and beats down on the heads of those on Masada. We therefore recommend that during the summer Bar Mitzvah ceremonies commence at 8:00 am at which time the cable car service begins. We would recommend that arrangements are made in advance accordingly and you arrive fitted out with hats, water and protective measures against the sun etc. It should be noted that ceremonies held in the Beis Midrash or the Zealot's dwellings are pleasantly shaded from the sun.
On days of rainfall, there is an explicit prohibition to take Torah scrolls out from the covered areas.
- The Masada Management does not permit visitors entering the site with refreshments.
- Many families decide to combine the Bar Mitzvah celebrations with a tour of Masada. The tour of Masada uncovers the nature of life for those local residents that were living there almost two thousand years ago and presents a uniquely exciting experience Likewise, there are families who choose to take a tour of the museum located near the site box-office.
The tour of the mountain is paid for separately and includes a tour guide. It is suited for a diversity of ages. It is recommended that the tour is ordered well in advance due to the many visitors arriving at the site. The "Museum Experience" tour is includes payment and is accompanied by an electronic tour guide.
- Each boy celebrating his Bar Mitzvah on Masada is presented with an elegant personalized certificate, signed by the site's Rabbi, sting that the boy chose to celebrate this exciting moment of his life at a place of bravery and self sacrifice – Masada.
- The Center assists in providing information and following services:
· Ways of approaching the site and parking possibilities
· Times of services
· Different customs
· Information about services and reading of the Torah
· Lending of tefillin and tallises
· Guide for prayers and laying tefillin
· The possibility for a chazzan (cantor) and for a Torah reader
· Organizing a Minyan if so needed
· Pre Bar Mitzvah study material
Our website address: www.masada-barbatmitzvah.com
To contact the Masada Bar Mitzvah Center click here
