Sophomore reflects on life after completing Bat Mitzvah

Breathe in, breathe out. Do it again.

Sophomore Talia Clement’s morning was a blur of excitement, nervousness and fear. As she took deep breaths, she remembered the countless hours, days and months that were spent to make this day perfect. Today, she was finally going to embark on the path to adulthood.

Breathe in. Breathe out. 

Clement completed her Bat Mitzvah on June 25, 2011. A Bat Mitzvah is a Jewish coming-of-age ceremony in which a 13- year-old girl transitions from childhood to adulthood. To complete a Bat Mitzvah, she must read from the Torah, write a speech about her portion, which includes stories from the Torah, and read from the Haftarah, the book of prophets. 

Clement’s journey began six months before the day of her Bat Mitzvah. 

“I was scared [to have a Bat Mitzvah] because there are so many things I have to learn and be able to do, so it was kind of stressful,” Clement said. “But once I got into [the process], I realized that if you take it slowly and go piece by piece, it’s not that hard.”

Clement had been learning Hebrew since kindergarten and had completed the language prerequisite for having a Bat Mitzvah. What remained were preparations for the big day. 

First, Clement had to learn sections of the Torah and many different prayers. Her portion was about the Korach, which told the story of a king and his noble personality. Clement had to learn prayers because she helped lead services at her congregation on the day of her Bat Mitzvah. After reading and memorizing for a total of six months, Clement was ready. 

On the morning of her Bat Mitzvah, Clement began her Torah reading and the day started to go by faster than the past six months. The day was nearing an end, and her service was over. Clement and her guests left Congregation Beth David and headed to celebrate her achievement with approximately 100 guests at the Los Gatos Jewish Community Center. Soon, Clement left her nervousness and fear behind and only brought along the excitement of completing a milestone. 

“[This journey] really helped me to become a more mature person and realize that to accomplish something, you have to practice and practice to get better at it,” Clement said. “Hard tasks [often require] persistence, and you [should not give up.] I think that was a really valuable lesson to learn, so in everything that I do now, I always try 100 percent.” 

Clement believes that this once-in-a-lifetime event helped her gain a different perspective of herself and of her religion because she had the opportunity to analyze and form her own opinions about the stories of time and creation from the Torah.

“I figured out my identity in both a religious and a general aspect because [my Bat Mitzvah] taught me who I am and the numerous things I can accomplish as a person,” Clement said. “It also brought me closer to the Jewish faith.”

Clement believes that every day, hour and minute she spent working and memorizing was worth it.

“After all of this build up for the past 13 years of my life, it was great to finally be able to say I successfully had a Bat Mitzvah,” Clement said.