Bar/Bat Mitzvah   Bar/Bat Mitzvah refers to the celebration of a young Jewish man or woman reaching the age of religious responsibility. The Bar (for a boy) or Bat (for a girl) Mitzvah serves as a pedagogic instrument for the teaching of ethical and moral principles and of religious traditions. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony is also intended to inspire continued Jewish studies and the performance of mitzvot (God's commandments). On achieving Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Jewish men and women accept the religious privileges and obligations accorded an adult. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony typically takes place when a child is thirteen years of age. Adults who did not undergo Bar/Bat Mitzvah training in their youth may choose to prepare for and participate in a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony. One may celebrate a Bar/Bat Mitzvah at any service that includes a Torah reading. The essential ritual element of a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is receiving an aliyah to the Torah. An aliyah may refer to a number of honors, but most commonly is used in connection with reciting the blessings before and after a section is read from the Torah scroll. The term aliyah literally means "going up"-the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is called by his or her Hebrew name to go up to the bimah during the Torah reading. During a Shabbat morning service, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah typically receives the honor of maftir, which affords him or her the opportunity to chant the Haftarah, a selection from the prophetic literature. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah may also participate in other ways during the service.