# Bar/Bat Mitzvah gift question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240 "2003-09-17T22:46:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/1 "2003-09-17T22:46:05Z")
really basic question here: My daughter has been invited to a Bat Mitzvah of a school friend. It’s been a while since my Bar Mitzvah which was pretty much limited to relatives and friends of the family. It is traditional to make a monetary gift. My question is, allowing for inflation, and the fact that I don’t know these people from Adam and/or Eve, how much should I give? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/2 "2003-09-17T22:55:35Z")
Something devisible by 18. ---
**Author:** ![Jake4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@Jake4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake4)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/3 "2003-09-17T23:12:57Z")
…because 18 is considered a lucky number to Jews. Someone else can tell you why. My WAG (not really, I’ve probably heard it before) is it’s the same reason as some numbers are considered lucky in the far east, because their characters contain words that are lucky. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/4 "2003-09-17T23:41:21Z")
Get.the.hell.outta.here… I’ve been a nominal Jew for 46 years, and **Now** I find this out? **I** love this board!!! ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/5 "2003-09-17T23:42:32Z")
> [@](#): > > …because 18 is considered a lucky number to Jews. Someone else can tell you why. Because 18 is the numerical value (Hebrew letters each have a numerical value) of the word “Chai”, which means “life”. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/6 "2003-09-17T23:44:27Z")
Good thing no one said “It should be divisible by 100,000!” ---
**Author:** ![adirondack\_mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@adirondack\_mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adirondack_mike)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/7 "2003-09-17T23:49:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jake4 \* > \*\*…because 18 is considered a lucky number to Jews. Someone else can tell you why. \*\* I have heard that the numerology - assigning numbers to letters - for the hebrew word for life (chai) is eighteen. the _ch_ part = 8 and the _ai_ part = 10. Why “life” instead of “luck” or some other word is most likely seeped in shtetl superstition. Is it also considered lucky in the sephardic (non-eastern european) jewish community? ---
**Author:** ![Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/8 "2003-09-18T02:35:54Z")
bizz, so ya like us, eh? I got a buttload of jewlery for my Bat Mitzvah and a lot of $20 bills. Nothing relating to 18, though. I’m 30 now. Adjusting for inflation, I still think $20 is quite appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/9 "2003-09-18T02:38:08Z")
Today, I am a fountain pen. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/10 "2003-09-18T05:03:08Z")
This is more a matter of opinion than fact, so I’ll move this thread to IMHO. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/11 "2003-09-18T13:31:03Z")
From time to time, really generous people give $324. 18 \*\* 2 = 324 Religious themed gifts are appropriate, too. For my youngest cousin’s bar mitzvah, my brothers and I went in for a lovely silver wine goblet, with his name and bar mitzvah date (in both calendars) on it. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bar-bat-mitzvah-gift-question/202240/12 "2003-09-19T01:29:24Z")
Give multiples of $18 or savings bonds. L’chaim!