Every Saturday morning Torah service has seven aliyot — seven times a person is "called up" to bless the Torah before and after a section is read aloud. At a bar or bat mitzvah, those seven slots are a finite resource and they get assigned to specific family members and friends. Get the assignments right and the service flows; get them wrong and somebody's aunt is hurt for a decade.
This is the working guide. We'll cover what an aliyah actually is, the standard order, how to assign the seven, the denomination differences, and the interfaith / non-Jewish-family edge case that comes up at almost every event now.
For the basic question of what the word "aliyah" means in this context, see what does aliyah mean at a bar mitzvah. This piece is for parents and bar/bat mitzvah families who already know what an aliyah is and now have to figure out who gets which one.
What an aliyah is, in 60 seconds
An aliyah is the honor of being called to the Torah to recite the blessing before and after a section of the Torah reading. You walk up to the bimah, the gabbai (the synagogue person managing the service) reads your Hebrew name, you say the blessing, the reader chants 3 to 9 verses while you stand next to the scroll, you say the closing blessing, and you go back to your seat.
You don't have to read Torah yourself. You just say the blessings. They're short — about 20 seconds each — and the synagogue will print them in transliteration in the prayer book if you can't read Hebrew. Many people who get aliyot can't read Hebrew. It's fine.
For the full mechanic, what does aliyah mean at a bar mitzvah walks through it word by word.
The seven aliyot, in order
Each of the seven has a traditional name and significance. In ascending importance (loosely):
- Rishon (1st) — "first." Traditionally goes to a Kohen, if one is present. Otherwise an honored guest or family member.
- Sheni (2nd) — "second." Traditionally goes to a Levi, if one is present. Otherwise an honored guest.
- Shlishi (3rd) — "third." First open slot. Often family.
- Revii (4th) — "fourth." Family.
- Chamishi (5th) — "fifth." Family.
- Shishi (6th) — "sixth." A traditionally important aliyah; some families place a particularly honored relative here.
- Shvii (7th) — "seventh." Usually a sibling, close cousin, or another family honoree.
Plus, in most communities:
- Maftir — a short additional reading of the last few verses, immediately followed by the Haftarah portion. This is the bar/bat mitzvah's aliyah. The kid chants the Maftir and then the Haftarah. This is the structural center of the service.
So in practice you're assigning 7 aliyot to family and friends, and the kid gets the Maftir on top.
A few synagogues, particularly some Reform ones, condense to 3 or 5 aliyot instead of 7. If yours is one of them, just compress the chart below proportionally — the principle is the same.
The Kohen / Levi rule, and what to do about it
In most Conservative and Modern Orthodox synagogues, the first aliyah goes to a Kohen (descendant of the priestly line) and the second to a Levi. If you're a Kohen or a Levi, you probably already know it — it's a family tradition that gets passed down. If you have no idea, you're almost certainly an Israelite (the default category), which is fine.
What this means at your kid's bar mitzvah:
- If your family includes a Kohen (grandfather, uncle, brother-in-law) — he typically gets the first aliyah. This is non-negotiable in Orthodox settings and customary in Conservative.
- If your family includes a Levi but no Kohen present — the Levi sometimes gets the first aliyah (with a small modification) or the second. The gabbai will handle the logistics.
- If you're in a Reform synagogue — the Kohen/Levi system is generally not observed. The seven aliyot go to whoever the family chose, in whatever order makes sense.
- If a woman in your family is the daughter of a Kohen or Levi — egalitarian Conservative and Reform synagogues recognize this and offer the first or second aliyah accordingly. Modern Orthodox typically does not.
This is the part where people get tripped up. Ask your rabbi or cantor at the 2-month-out planning meeting and they'll tell you exactly how your specific synagogue handles it.
The assignment problem, in order of operations
Here's how to actually do the work. Do this 6 to 8 weeks before the event.
Step 1: Account for the Kohen/Levi slots
Locked in by tradition if your synagogue observes them. Cross those off the list of "things you choose."
Step 2: Identify the family that must be honored
Working list, in rough priority order:
- Both sets of grandparents (one aliyah, sometimes called together as a couple if the synagogue allows joint aliyot, otherwise split across two aliyot)
- Parents — yes, parents typically get an aliyah. The denomination chapter has more on this.
- Aunts and uncles, especially if any of them are particularly close to the kid
- The other parent's siblings, if not already covered
- The bar/bat mitzvah's older siblings, if any
- A particularly close family friend or godparent
You usually have more family who "should" be honored than you have slots. This is normal. The fix is in step 4.
Step 3: The bar/bat mitzvah's Maftir is locked
The kid takes the Maftir. No discussion. That's the entire structural point of the service.
Step 4: Use the alternative honors
If you have more family than slots, the rest get other honors, which are real honors and not consolation prizes:
- Opening the ark (called p'ticha). Two people walk up, the curtain or doors are opened, the Torah is removed.
- Hagbahah — lifting the Torah scroll after the reading. Done by a strong adult; the Torah is heavy.
- Gelilah — wrapping and dressing the Torah after the lift. Often paired with hagbahah; can be done by a young teen or older child.
- Hakafah — carrying the Torah around the synagogue at the start and end of the service. Multiple people can participate.
- English readings — some synagogues have English prayers or poems at specific points in the service, which can be assigned as honors.
- Carrying the Torah on the return processional — a notable honor, often given to a particularly close family member.
These honors don't require Hebrew or Torah knowledge. They're public, visible, and meaningful. Use them generously.
Step 5: Write the chart
Make an actual chart. We've seen families try to do this in their heads and forget Aunt Linda. The chart has every family member you want to honor, their Hebrew name (which you'll need to give the gabbai), their assignment, and their seat row.
Send the chart to your rabbi and the gabbai 2 weeks before the event. They'll catch problems you missed.
For the broader planning timeline this fits into, see the 12-month bar mitzvah planning timeline — the aliyah chart sits in the 6-to-8-weeks-out window.
Denominational differences
The seven-aliyah structure is universal, but who can have one varies dramatically.
Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal: any adult Jew can have any aliyah. Men, women, non-binary, single, married, divorced. No Kohen/Levi distinction in most communities. Patrilineal-descent Jews (Jewish father, non-Jewish mother) are recognized as Jewish for aliyah purposes.
Conservative: any adult Jew can have any aliyah. Kohen/Levi distinctions usually observed for the first two slots. Patrilineal-descent Jews are not recognized by halakha in Conservative practice and would not be eligible for an aliyah.
Modern Orthodox: only men get aliyot in the main sanctuary service. Women's aliyot exist in women-only services (some Modern Orthodox synagogues hold these on Sunday or at a separate Saturday service) and in partnership minyanim. Patrilineal Jews are not eligible without conversion.
Yeshivish / Haredi Orthodox: men only. Strict Kohen/Levi observance.
If your family includes people who can't have aliyot in your synagogue's tradition (most commonly: non-Jewish step-parents, patrilineal cousins in a Conservative shul, women in an Orthodox shul), use the alternative honors generously. They're real, public, and visible.
Parents specifically
The parents of the bar/bat mitzvah almost always get an aliyah, often the one immediately before Maftir (the seventh). Some synagogues call both parents together; others split across two aliyot. If the parents are divorced, this gets handled case by case — see do parents get aliyot at a bar mitzvah for related considerations on the parent side of service participation.
The parents' aliyah is often the most emotional moment of the service for the family. The kid is about to take their first Maftir; the parents bless the Torah immediately before. The chronological structure of the day is right there.
Interfaith and non-Jewish family
The most common edge case at modern American bar mitzvahs. The non-Jewish parent, stepparent, or close family member.
Most non-Orthodox synagogues: the non-Jewish family member cannot recite the aliyah blessing (which contains "who has chosen us from among the nations" — theologically reserved for Jews) but can participate in alternative honors. The English reading, opening the ark, walking up to stand alongside the Jewish spouse for a joint family blessing, carrying the Torah on the processional.
Some Reform synagogues: an adapted blessing exists for non-Jewish family that allows them to recite a modified text. Ask your rabbi.
Modern Orthodox and Conservative: generally, non-Jewish family does not have a public role in the Torah service. They can have a public role at the kiddush — speaking, lighting candles, or in some communities offering a non-religious blessing for the child.
This is something to discuss with your rabbi 2 months out, not on the day. For broader interfaith guest considerations, see non-Jewish guest etiquette.
The hardest assignments
A few that come up over and over and that we'll just call out:
- Estranged grandparent vs close grandparent on the same side. They both expect the slot. The honest fix is usually to give the close one the aliyah and the estranged one an alternative honor — opening the ark, for example. Then call the estranged one a week before and explain. Don't surprise them at the service.
- Divorced parents who don't speak. Split aliyot, not joint. Adjacent in the order, not the same one. The rabbi will help.
- A non-Jewish biological parent who raised the kid as Jewish. The rabbi conversation is mandatory. Most communities will find a real way to honor them.
- The grandparent who's too frail to walk to the bimah. The synagogue can bring the Torah to them, or assign an honor that doesn't require walking — typically the Hebrew or English prayer recited from their seat with a microphone.
What's next
- The basic walkthrough of an aliyah: what does aliyah mean at a bar mitzvah.
- The full Saturday morning service structure that frames all seven aliyot: how long does a bar mitzvah service last.
- For the planning timeline this assignment work fits into: 12-month bar mitzvah planning timeline.
- For guests trying to make sense of what's happening on the bimah: non-Jewish guest etiquette.
- To find a synagogue whose denomination matches what your family needs from the aliyah structure: synagogue directory — filter by tradition.
The aliyah assignments are the part of the planning that's actually about the people in your life, not the vendors or the budget. Take the time. Make the chart. Honor the family you've got.
Last updated: May 2026.