A Bar Mitzvah usually takes place when a boy is 13; a Bat Mitzvah is typically held anytime after a girl turns 12. The event celebrates the induction of this emerging adult into the Jewish Community, at which point in their life they can assume the responsibilities of observing the commandments of the Torah.

Bar Mitzvah" literally means "son of the commandment." "Bar" is "son" in Aramaic, "Mitzvah" is "commandment" in both Hebrew and Aramaic. "Bat" is daughter in Hebrew and Aramaic.  

Under Jewish Law, children at the age of 13 (12 for girls), children become obligated to observe the commandments. The Bar Mitzvah ceremony formally marks the assumption of that obligation, along with the corresponding right to take part in leading religious services, to count in a minyan (the minimum number of people needed to perform certain parts of religious services), to form binding contracts, to testify before religious courts and to marry.

A Jewish boy automatically becomes a Bar Mitzvah upon reaching the age of 13 years. No ceremony is needed to confer these rights and obligations.

Appropriate gifts include a kiddush cup, tallit clips, tzedakah box, Shabbat candleholders (Bat Mitzvah), a yad, books, and jewelry.