Mitzvah Gifting for Dummies

My upbringing has taught me the importance of gifting, of marking a momentous occasion with the appropriate monetary amount or the perfect item.  
But...what's the right amount? is money ok? can I give a gift instead? what's that I hear about multiples of 18? AHHH my head if spinning!

Slow down....that's what we're here for, and we've tried to lay it all down for you in a simple way so you can just show up and enjoy the party.  With the perfect gift in hand, of course.

Money
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah boy or girl will love receiving money.  Trust us.  They just won't like the part where their parents take most of it away to put into a savings account for future use.
If you're giving cash or check, the most common rule in Jewish gifting is to gift in multiples of $18. In numerology, 18 is Chai (no, not the delicious tea latte), Hebrew for life. Giving money in multiples of $18 is symbolic of giving “chai” or life. So if you were going to give $50, give $54.  If you were going to gift $100, make it $108 instead. 
And that's where the rules end, and the rest is highly dependent on how close you are to the boy or girl celebrating and how many people are invited; please use the below as rough guidelines, and give what you're comfortable giving: 

• A child attending a friend’s bar mitzvah will likely give anywhere from 2x-4x chai, for a maximum of $72 (and that's considered generous).
• A family will likely start the gifting where the individual spectrum ends, with $72 on the low end (perhaps if only attending the service) and up from there. In some metropolitan areas, family gifts reach $360-$540 for very close friends. But on average, most families will give in the range of $108-$180, and, for close friends, around $252.  A more rounded number of course will never be turned away.

Israel Bonds
Giving gifts of Israel bonds is a special way to celebrate meaningful occasions. 
Israel Bonds support Israel and can be redeemed in five years.

Mazel Tov Bonds, a special all-occasion gift available for an initial minimum investment of $100 can be purchased online. 

E-Mitzvah bonds can be purchased for a minimum of $36.

Visit the Israel Bonds website to learn more.

Gifts
There are some people who, especially for close friends, will prefer to provide a personal gift, as opposed to cash or even an Israel bond (my son may now have voting shares in the future of the State of Israel based on his current portfolio). The advantage of a personal gift is that its perceived value is oftentimes higher than the actual value, with consideration given to the thought and the time taken, providing the gift-giver additional wiggle room in terms of spend.

My favorite concept is the gift within a gift.  Providing something special that contains another surprise gift inside.  For a Bat Mitzvah girl, this most often will take on the form of a jewelry box that contains a piece of jewelry inside.  For a boy, a beautiful yad (torah pointer) and cuff links or a Shabbat set.  A Mezuzah is also very special, and can even be engraved with a custom saying or name.

We are excited to package these items for you through JEW-ishly to make the process easy and assist you in gifting in a meaningful and memorable way.  Either select one of the pre-packaged gifts we have available, or contact us to create your own.  And remember, we can source and customize (almost) anything with advance notice.  Because gift giving shouldn’t be stressful, think of us as your Jew-ish gift concierge.