Bar Mitzvah Torah Reading: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Chabad and Yerushalmi

Families read from the Torah in different traditions, and a boy should learn the one he will hear and use in his own synagogue. Rabbi Menachem Sabbah teaches Sephardi, Ashkenazi, Chabad and Yerushalmi Torah reading, one-on-one and live on Zoom, and has taught Bar Mitzvah students for nearly 20 years.

What the differences are

The pronunciation of some letters and vowels, and the melodies given to the cantillation notes (taamim), differ from one community to another. A reading that sounds right in one synagogue can sound unfamiliar in another. That is why it is worth settling the tradition before the first lesson, not after.

Listen to each tradition

These four demonstrations let you hear a Torah reading in each tradition: Ashkenazi, Chabad, Sephardi and Yerushalmi.

How to choose

The most reliable guide is your own synagogue. Ask the rabbi or the person who arranges the Torah reading which tradition your son will be reading in, and whether there is a particular custom the community follows. If the family comes from one tradition and the synagogue follows another, mention both at the assessment and the Rabbi will help you decide.

If you are not sure

Bring your questions to the 30-minute assessment, or send them first by WhatsApp or the enquiry form. It is easier to decide at the start than after months of practice.

What is the same in every tradition

Whichever tradition your son learns, the structure is the same. He learns to read Hebrew with confidence, to say the blessings for an aliyah, to apply the cantillation notes, and to prepare his own Torah portion. Use the Bar Mitzvah calculator to find the portion for his date. Most boys begin lessons 8 to 12 months before the Bar Mitzvah, with the aim of being fully ready 6 weeks before the date. See How long does it take to prepare for a Bar Mitzvah?