Having a Bat Mitzvah is much like the changing of the leaves. When a girl is about nine years old, she gets a date. A date for her Bat Mitzvah, a very special, big idea planted in her mind. Like a little seedling sprouting from a branch in the spring. She has already been in Hebrew school for about four years, and is ready to take on anything to be prepared for her special occasion. She already has her Torah portion picked out for her, but really has no idea what it is, or what it will mean in her life in the future years to come. The girl stays in Hebrew school learning how to chant different prayers, and to lead a congregation in song before her eyes. Her teachers make sure that they do everything they can do to make Bat Mitzvah training simpler for her, the Cantor, and the Rabbi who will have her back when the time is right.

Fast forward a couple years, and the girl is now twelve. As the leaves change to silky greens blossom out in the summer heat, the girl so changes as well; this is the time for tutoring and training. She learns about her Torah portion, and the Rabbi helps her figure out what it means in her life. She goes over the monotonous prayers she has already mastered in the years before, and has a very difficult long, column of Hebrew placed in front of her. This column is her Torah portion, the most difficult task of all; to learn, and chant this excerpt out of the Torah in front of a congregation. When she reads out of the torah on her Bat Mitzvah is when she truly will become a Bat Mitzvah. This is also the time for her to give back to the community she lives in. This shows that she is starting to be responsible and educate herself with the things going on around her. She will pick an organization, food bank, daycare, or anything else to help somebody in need. This is called a mitzvah, and is also really important in becoming a Bat Mitzvah, which translates to, “Daughter of the Jewish law”. Mitzvah is also another word for the Commandments from God, therefore when you become a Bat Mitzvah, your responsibility as a jewish adult is now to follow the commandments given to the jewish people by God. During this point in preparations the girl may have some rough patches when her silky green leaves get small little caterpillar holes eaten out of them, but that is alright; she would never learn anything if she never made any mistakes. As the summer starts to end, so do the preparations. She is almost entirely ready for her date that she can't wait any longer for.
The leaves start to change from silky greens to warm golds, auburns, coppers, oranges, and reds. The girl is now ready, and practicing, practicing, practicing all she can, afraid that she will mess up on her big day. The Autumn leaves get closer to their peak as the Bat Mitzvah date arrives; she is anxious and prepared. The day finally comes, the girl has been awaiting. She looks beautiful in her dress, and feels confident with what she has learned. The service goes by so fast, and there are so many people surrounding her with their support. She tells everybody in the congregation what she has learned over the process of preparing for her Bat Mitzvah, and what her torah portion means to her. The girl lets her true colors shine, just like the leaves starting to fall from the trees as the service comes to a close.

Even though her Bat Mitzvah may be over, she still has the memories and accomplishments. Walking outside to get in the car, the girl finds a beautiful leaf on the ground, and takes it inside. She will preserve the leaf, and like a memory from her Bat Mitzvah it will always stay beautiful even if the trees outside become bare.