My grandfather celebrated a second bar mitzvah. Can you explain the reason behind his doing so and if this is a ceremony expected of all Jews of a certain age?

What your grandfather did is actually a lovely minhag/custom, and allows another opportunity for celebration – there can never be too many causes for celebration!

I encourage as many people to take this on as possible, and I enjoy working with them to prepare. This practice celebrates their life, gives them a chance to engage in Torah study, encourages others in the congregation to see this as a meaningful way to mark a significant milestone in life, and brings the community together for a joyous celebration.  

This custom is based on the reading of Psalm 90:10, which tells us that 70 years is the expected lifespan of most humans, though we may reach 80 if granted special vigor. This is not so far from what statistics tell us about life expectancy today.

Given this expectation, one can imagine that after they reach age 70 it is as if they had been granted a new start, so that when they arrive at the age of 83, it is equivalent to reaching the age of Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah in that ‘second life’ – a wonderful reason to celebrate by having a second Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah! 

First, I would like to offer your grandfather a hearty mazal tov on celebrating this momentous occasion in his life. A second Bar Mitzvah is usually marked when a person reaches the age of 83. There are no specific rules or traditions about celebrating a ‘second Bar Mitzvah,’ just as there are no specific rules about becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Bar Mitzvah is not a ceremony (and it’s certainly not a verb as in ‘becoming Bar Mitzvahed’). Rather Bar Mitzvah is a statement of person status. One becomes a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah; one doesn’t have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. In Pirke Avot, a second century collection of rabbinic aphorisms and wisdom, we learn about the various stages of life in a statement attributed to Rabbi Yehudah ben Tema: “Five is the age for the study of scripture, ten for the study of Mishnah and thirteen (l’mitzvot) for the fulfillment of the commandments…”  (Avot 5:24) There is virtually no discussion in rabbinic literature about what one is supposed to do upon reaching the age of thirteen. One simply becomes responsible for the fulfillment of the commandments. In fact the only ritual of any sort is the responsibility of the parents and not the young person. They are supposed to recite a blessing the first time the new Bar Mitzvah is called to the Torah in which they say,  “Blessed is the One who has exempted me from the sin of this (young) person.” Whether or not one is called to the Torah, however, one becomes a Bar Mitzvah by virtue of having reached one’s thirteenth birthday.

I would put the celebration of a second Bar Mitzvah in the realm of custom rather than Jewish law. In the Book of Psalms we learn that, ‘The days of our years are threescore and ten, or even by reason of strength, fourscore…” (Psalm 90) Based on the significance of seventy as the normal length of a human life, the custom arose of marking one’s second Bar Mitzvah thirteen years later at age 83. While it is not necessary or required to do so (any more than it is required to have a big party at age 13), it is certainly appropriate to mark special milestones in one’s life in spiritual ways. A second Bar Mitzvah is an opportunity to give thanks for having reached a significant age in relative health and wellbeing. It can be celebrated in many ways but it usually involves being called to the Torah for an Aliyah and reciting the Haftorah, or the prophetic portion, for that day. It is also an opportunity for family to come together around a  beloved octogenarian, and to mark this moment with gratitude and rejoicing. It is also a chance for a family elder to make a statement to children and grandchildren about the importance of Judaism in their lives.