Help! Non Jewish person asking, What is an appropriate bat mitzvah gift?

Question

And should I wrap it? Is money okay and should I present it a certain way?

And should I say "God bless you" or "congratulations?"

Answer 1

As far as gifts for a bas mitzvah go, candlesticks for the Shabbos (Sabbath) are highly appropriate, but someone might already have dibs on those. Jewish books are appropriate (you can order direct from the biggest publishers here: http://www.feldheim.com/ and here: http://www.artscroll.com ) Wrapping a gift is fine, though if the girl is religious, and she receives the gift on the Shabbos, bear in mind that she might not open it right away.

Money is also a fine gift, and you don't run the risk of giving her a redundant present (I mean, if she gets the same from many people, as she probably will, well, no complaints). Jews usually give money as gifts the same way everyone else does, in a card. If your local store doesn't carry bas mitzvah cards, for sure your nearest Judaica shop will. The Jewish custom is to give money (both when giving gifts and when giving charity) in multiples of 18, which is the numerical value (like, if a = 1 and b = 2, the value of "ab" is 3) of the word "chai," meaning "life" (as in "l'chayim" = to life). So people tend to give in multiples of chai, $36 = "two-times-chai". Such a gift, rather than a rounded off number (not that there's anything wrong with giving any amount) suggests that you're "in the know" in terms of Jewish etiquette.

The customary form for congratulating the girl (and her entire family) is "mazel tov." Literally means "good luck," but is used to mean "congratulations," as in, expressing your pleasure at your friend's good fortune. A simple "congratulations" is also fine.

I hope you find this information helpful, and if you have any other Jewish etiquette questions, feel free to contact me directly.

PS: David Tee up there, the one sporting the Christian Jew-wannabe logo, is incorrect. "Baruch HaShem" translates roughly to "thank G-d" (lit. "blessed is The Name" - "The Name" referring to the Creator) and is not appropriate as a greeting or form of congratulation.

A more correct usage would be like:

"Hey Moishe, how are you?"
"Baruch Hashem. And you?"
"Baruch Hashem."

Answer 2

Appropriate Gift For Bat Mitzvah

Answer 3

Appropriate Bat Mitzvah Gifts

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Help! Non Jewish person asking, What is an appropriate bat mitzvah gift?
And should I wrap it? Is money okay and should I present it a certain way?

Answer 5

You can give any sort of gift that you like; money is appropriate (it will likely go partially to a charity, and mostly to a college fund for the bat Mitzvah). You can also give education-related gifts if you prefer. I'd stay away from any religious gifts since you are not Jewish. It's appropriate to wrap the gift; just stay away from any Christian-themed paper. It's common to wrap gifts in blue, white, and silver, as blue is from the Israeli flag and is commonly associated with Judaism.

As to what to say - "Mazel Tov!" means "good/happy day" literally, and is our way of saying "congratulations" - I'm sure you'll hear it a lot if you go to the service :-)

[Edit: Someone above suggested "baruch haShem" - not really appropriate, as it means "blessed is God" and is usually the start of a prayer. People will look at you kinda funny if you say that, to be honest...]

And tell your friend Mazel Tov from me! :-)

Shalom.

Answer 6

Money is a very traditional bat Mitzvah gift. Get a bat Mitzvah card at Hallmark (they have lots).

If you want to give something else that is fine too. Rap it as you would any other gift. If you want theme paper, again Hallmark has lots.

Answer 7

The card should start with Mazel Tov...As for a gift, money in incriments of $18 is the most common route. For physical gifts, you may want to check with the family. One gift i remember getting was 10 Shares (which has now grown to 100) of Playboy stock...

Answer 8

I gave money. The rumor is that the appropriate gift is money in multiples of 18 ($18, $36, etc.) On the card you should write Mazel Tov or Congratulations

Answer 9

Whatever you think the person would like, if your going to give money though it is traditional to do it in denominations of 18 (IE 18, 36, 180, ) this is because number 18 stands for the Hebrew word life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_%28symbol%29
Congratulations-- or Mazel-tov

Answer 10

Congratulations or Baruch HaShem!

Money in a card is a perfect gift.