Hebrew birthday calculator / Bar and bat mitzvah parsha finder
Bar and bat mitzvah parsha finder
Enter your child's birth date. You'll get the Hebrew birthday, the bat mitzvah date at 12 and the bar mitzvah date at 13, and the Torah portion and haftarah of that Shabbat, in Israel or outside it.
Enter the birth date
You’ll see the Hebrew birthday, the bat mitzvah date at 12 and the bar mitzvah date at 13, each with the parsha and haftarah of that Shabbat.
Planning the ceremony in Israel? A planner for families celebrating in Israel is coming soon.
How the date is set
A child becomes bar or bat mitzvah on a Hebrew birthday, not an English one. In Orthodox communities that's the 13th Hebrew birthday for a boy and the 12th for a girl. Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist communities use 13 for both, so if that's you, read the bar mitzvah line for a girl too.
The Mishnah puts the age in one line:
בֶּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַמִּצְוֹת
The new status begins at nightfall as that Hebrew day starts, whatever time of day the child was born. The celebration is usually on the Shabbat that follows, which is the Shabbat the finder shows.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Bar and bat mitzvah" (opens in a new tab); Chabad.org, "The Laws of Bar Mitzvah" (opens in a new tab); Sefaria, Pirkei Avot 5:21 (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
Why Israel and outside Israel can differ
Outside Israel most festivals last two days; in Israel they last one. When the second day falls on Shabbat, communities outside Israel read the festival portion that Shabbat, while Israel reads the next weekly portion. For a few weeks Israel is one portion ahead, until communities outside Israel read two portions together on one Shabbat and the schedules match again.
So the same Shabbat can have a different parsha in Jerusalem and in New York. That's why the finder asks where the ceremony will be, and tells you when the other place reads something else that week.
Sources: Hebcal, "What is the difference between the Diaspora and Israeli sedra schemes?" (opens in a new tab); Aish.com, "Mismatched Torah Portions" (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
The haftarah
The haftarah is a reading from the Prophets that follows the Torah reading on Shabbat and festivals, usually linked in theme to that week's portion. In many Ashkenazi communities, the bar mitzvah boy reads the last section of the Torah reading (the maftir) and the haftarah.
Some Shabbatot have a special haftarah: Shabbat Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah, the four special Shabbatot before Pesach, and others. The finder shows it and says why. Sephardic communities read a different haftarah some weeks, and the finder lists it when it does.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Haftarah" (opens in a new tab); Hebcal's leyning library (@hebcal/leyning) (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
Dates that need a second look
- Born after sunset. The Hebrew day starts at sunset, so the birth belongs to the next Hebrew date. If it was between sunset and the appearance of three stars, Chabad.org's summary says the earlier day applies. Ask your rabbi.
- Born in Adar, milestone in a leap year. Leap years have Adar I and Adar II. For a child born in a regular year's Adar, the finder uses Adar II, as Chabad.org's summary gives; some authorities hold Adar I.
- Born in Adar I or Adar II, milestone in a regular year. There's only one Adar, and the finder uses it, following Hebcal's calendar rule. The sources we checked don't address this directly.
- Born on 30 Cheshvan or 30 Kislev. Some years don't have that day. Chabad.org's summary gives 1 Kislev or 1 Tevet, and the finder does the same.
- Born on 30 Adar I. When the milestone year has only one Adar, that day doesn't exist and we found no source that sets the date, so the finder shows none. Ask your rabbi.
- A festival on that Shabbat. The festival reading replaces the weekly portion. The finder shows the festival reading and says so.
More detail: Born in Adar or on the 30th and how the bar or bat mitzvah date is set.
Source: Chabad.org, "The Laws of Bar Mitzvah" (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
Every Hebrew birthday, too
The main calculator lists the next 20 Hebrew birthdays, makes a calendar file and a card to share.
Questions
Which parsha is my child’s bar or bat mitzvah parsha?
Most families mean the portion read on the first Shabbat on or after the 13th Hebrew birthday (12th for a bat mitzvah in Orthodox communities). The finder shows that Shabbat and its reading. Your synagogue confirms the date it will actually use.
Why do I need to say whether the ceremony is in Israel?
Some weeks Israel and the rest of the world read different portions. Outside Israel, the second day of a festival can fall on Shabbat and replace the weekly portion, which puts Israel a week ahead until the two schedules line up again a few weeks later.
What is the haftarah?
A reading from the books of the Prophets that follows the Torah reading on Shabbat and festivals. It is usually linked in theme to the week’s portion. In many Ashkenazi communities the bar mitzvah boy reads the last section of the Torah portion and the haftarah.
My child was born after sunset. Which date do I use?
The Hebrew day starts at sunset, so turn on "Born after sunset" and the finder uses the next Hebrew date. If the birth was between sunset and the appearance of three stars, Chabad.org’s summary of the laws says the earlier day applies. Ask your rabbi.
Is the date the finder shows the date of the party?
It’s the Hebrew birthday the child becomes bar or bat mitzvah, and the Shabbat after it. Many ceremonies are held that Shabbat; some are on a Monday or Thursday morning, when the Torah is also read. Families often pick a different Shabbat for practical reasons.
