A bat mitzvah is a coming-of-age ritual in Judaism that marks the point at which a Jewish girl becomes obligated to perform the Jewish mitzvot (commandments) . The term "bat mitzvah" means "daughter of commandment" in Hebrew. Traditionally, before children reach a certain age, their parents are responsible for their actions. Once Jewish children reach the age of bat mitzvah, which is typically 12 years old, they begin to be held accountable for their own actions.

During the bat mitzvah ceremony, the girl will generally get an aliyah and usually chant the haftarah. The child will begin preparations for her bat mitzvah about a year before the big day. The bat mitzvah celebration made a late appearance in the United States with the bat mitzvah of Judith Kaplan (daughter of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan) in 1922. In the last half-century, the bat mitzvah has been widely observed in liberal congregations but has developed more slowly among traditional Jews because women are not legally obligated by Jewish law to perform public mitzvot.