There are still many inhibitions in Orthodox circles about the permissibility and the advisability of having girls Bas Mitzvah. In most cases, our colleagues only grudgingly institute Bas Mitzvah ceremonies in response to overpowering pressures. The most frequent objection to the practice is that it is “ke-chukas ha-goyim,” a direct imitation of non-Jewish and Reformist groups. Several years ago, we printed a rather elaborate ceremony and material about Bas Mitzvah in Ideas. We have been informed that it is presently in use in very many congregations throughout the country. Its essential merit is that its manner of presentation obviated all possibilities of violation of tradition. We feel that Bas Mitzvah ceremonies will achieve more widespread acceptance with the passage of years, particularly amongst non-yeshiva girls. We now have several basic important rulings about the propriety of Bas Mitzvah. In a letter to a 12-year-old Tel Aviv girl who had asked for a ruling on the subject, Israel’s Chief Rabbi Itzhak Nissim wrote as follows (published in Yediot Aharonot): “The reason why in all Jewish communities a Bar Mitzvah has always been made for a boy is that from the day he assumes the commandments, he fulfills an immediate mitzvah, the putting on of tefillin. A girl, though she assumes the obligation of the mitzvot, does not have an immediate and special command to perform. This does not imply that a girl should not rejoice on the day of her entering the world of mitzvot. On the contrary, it is good and proper to make a celebration in honor of this occasion in her life. The celebration should be in her home in the company of her friends and relatives and with the participation of a rabbi. The rabbi should make a speech in honor of the occasion and should speak on the virtues of the law, on keeping the mitzvot and of the reward for those who keep them. It is fitting that the girl should wear a new dress and make the blessing of ‘Shehecheyanu.’ She should prepare a…