For the planning ahead
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Bar / Bat Mitzvah Planner
Enter your child's birthdate to find their Hebrew birthday, the exact date of their bar or bat mitzvah, the Shabbat it falls on, and the Torah portion (parsha) they'll read — often years in advance, so you can actually plan.
The Jewish day begins at sunset, not midnight — a birth soon after sunset can belong to the next Hebrew date.
Communities differ honestly on the age for a bat mitzvah. We don't treat either as "correct" — pick whichever your family and community follow.
How the Bar/Bat Mitzvah Date Is Found
A bar or bat mitzvah date is the child's Hebrew birthday, 13 (or 12) Hebrew years later — the day they become obligated in mitzvot as a Jewish adult, regardless of whether a ceremony happens that day. Most families call the child to the Torah on the Shabbat on or immediately after that Hebrew birthday, which is what this calculator finds.
If the birthday fell in the single Adar of a non-leap year, and the target year is a Hebrew leap year (which happens 7 times every 19 years), the same honest disagreement applies as with a yahrzeit — we show both Adar I and Adar II possibilities rather than choosing for your family.
Occasionally the Shabbat that lands on or after the Hebrew birthday coincides with a festival that replaces the regular weekly Torah portion (Shavuot, a Pesach Shabbat, and so on) — when that happens we tell you plainly rather than guessing at a parsha that isn't actually read that week.
Frequently asked questions
What parsha will my son read at his bar mitzvah?
Enter his birthdate above — the calculator finds the exact Shabbat 13 Hebrew years after his Hebrew birthday and looks up that week's Torah portion.
Can I plan a bar mitzvah years in advance?
Yes — because the Hebrew calendar is fully determined far into the future, this calculator can find a date and parsha a decade or more ahead, which is exactly why we built it: hebcal.com can tell you the date, but most families are also asking "so what do I plan around?"
Is bat mitzvah at 12 or 13?
Both are practiced. Many Orthodox communities mark it at 12 (a girl's traditional age of religious maturity); many Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist communities mark it at 13, alongside boys. Neither is more "real" — it's a matter of communal custom.
See also: Hebrew Birthday Converter · Yahrzeit Calculator