Bmitzvah.org: B Mitzvah! The Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah (R)evolution continues
The flame is a primary Jewish metaphor for the soul. Judaism enjoins us to be careful lest we put out the flame of someone's soul through careless or deliberate words or acts. So a few decades back, when, unfortunately, a Christian caterer started the idea of a candle-lighting ceremony for bar/bat mitzvah parties,