Bar Mitzvah Gift Ideas

[YG]

What sefer?

The new "Hayom Yom - Tackling Life's Tasks" printed by Sichos in English.  For each day it has some additional reading that beautifully supplements the Hayom Yom of the day, some days its a story thats connected and adds meaning, some days its background info, some days its an explanation of concepts mentioned in the day's Hayom Yom.
Its really a beautiful piece of work.
 
Best regular retail price i know of is $40, or $24 for the small - which is actually really quite nice.
Available on and off in Crown Heights for $32 for the large if you know where to go.

I hope this is not a breach of the forum rules.

can you engrave a name on a shofer ?

L'choireh there's no reason why not, technically, as long as it doesn't affect the sound the shofar makes.  I suspect however, that engraving directly on a shofar wouldnt show up all that well.  I have seen beautiful shofaros that have a silver sleeve around the middle of the body that can be engraved with anything you like.  They look really nice, and as long as you know that the silver is not affecting the sound the shofar is making (not sure how you'd know that), it should probably be legit.

[AsherO]

The new "Hayom Yom - Tackling Life's Tasks" printed by Sichos in English.  For each day it has some additional reading that beautifully supplements the Hayom Yom of the day, some days its a story thats connected and adds meaning, some days its background info, some days its an explanation of concepts mentioned in the day's Hayom Yom.
Its really a beautiful piece of work.

It's a really nice sefer, but I can't see your average modern/litvish/yeshivish/veltish (you get my drift) guy appreciating it, especially not a 13 year old.

[mercaz1]

maybe some cheap stocks
i liked buying stocks when i was younger especially when you get the actual certificate

[twentie4hrs]

It's a really nice sefer, but I can't see your average modern/litvish/yeshivish/veltish (you get my drift) guy appreciating it, especially not a 13 year old.

I was going back and forth about a sefer, but I agree, 13 year olds won't appreciate it.

[YG]

I was going back and forth about a sefer, but I agree, 13 year olds won't appreciate it.

Probably true.  I didnt appreciate any of mine at the time.  I wished that people had given me other stuff instead.
BUT, now B"H, I am SO happy that I got them and have them, and didnt get other useless stuff that would have been loooooong forgotten by now.
Perhaps a nice sefer as well as something he'll appreciate in the meantime () might make a nice balance - if you can work it into the budget.

Hence......

purchase price about a third of your budget

[YG]

It's a really nice sefer, but I can't see your average modern/litvish/yeshivish/veltish (you get my drift) guy appreciating it

I get your drift indeed, although it will depend just how 'litvish'

I gave it to a talmid muvhok of a R"M at MTJ as a wedding gift, and although he certainly doesn't read it every day, I will occasionally text him to check it out when I see something i believe that he'll appreciate, and he usually does (check it out, and appreciate it).

-He also mentioned that on occasion his wife will open it up and have a read.

[twentie4hrs]

Probably true.  I didnt appreciate any of mine at the time.  I wished that people had given me other stuff instead.
BUT, now B"H, I am SO happy that I got them and have them, and didnt get other useless stuff that would have been loooooong forgotten by now.
Perhaps a nice sefer as well as something he'll appreciate in the meantime () might make a nice balance - if you can work it into the budget.

Hence......

Do you guys think a $25.00 GC  to best buy (does that even buy anything there anymore) and a nice messilas yesharim is a good idea?

[Chachem Balaileh]

How about a challa cover with his name?

[YG]

Do you guys think a $25.00 GC  to best buy (does that even buy anything there anymore) and a nice messilas yesharim is a good idea?

Nice idea.
Pehaps an amazon GC may be more versatile...?

Another book option that you may also like to consider

It is a very aesthetically pleasing book inside and out, and very readable.  I sent it to a guy in Australia - in the middle of nowhere - even by Australian standards , he cant read Hebrew, and he LOVES it.  varying levels of commentary and very single-sentence biographies of Tannaim are some of the big pluses.  and did I mention? - it is very elegant.

[AJK]

+1 to the Amazon over the BB GC idea

[twentie4hrs]

+1 to the Amazon over the BB GC idea

Thanks!
It is so decided.

The pirkei avos (which looks real nice btw) and a $25 Amazon GC

[Dan]

-1 on Amazon GC as a BM gift for a nephew.

[AsherO]

-1 on Amazon GC as a BM gift for a nephew.

Dan discouraging an Amazon GC?

[Dan]

Dan discouraging an Amazon GC?

It's fine for plenty of gifts, but seems a bit impersonal as a nephew's BM gift to me.

[Avid Reader]

It's fine for plenty of gifts, but seems a bit impersonal as a nephew's BM gift to me.

+1

I think it's always best to give a gift that you can somehow inscribe, if possible.
And even a regular gift that will just stay around a few years is more likely to be remembered then consumables.

[Dan]

+1

I think it's always best to give a gift that you can somehow inscribe, if possible.
And even a regular gift that will just stay around a few years is more likely to be remembered then consumables.

+1.  A nice inscribed leather siddur/tehilim/other sefer is always a thoughtful gift.

[Avid Reader]

A nice inscribed leather siddur/tehilim/other sefer is always a thoughtful gift.

I still have the leather siddur my grandfather A"H gave me for my upshernish!

[AsherO]

It's fine for plenty of gifts, but seems a bit impersonal as a nephew's BM gift to me.

My nephew made it easy (albeit 'expensive') for me and told me what he wanted:

I'm considering giving this as a gift to someone, and I was hoping to get a 4th gen by the 21st, hopefully that's possible.

+1.  A nice inscribed leather siddur/tehilim/other sefer is always a thoughtful gift.

For the record, I also got him the Stone Chumash

[yaakov s]

+1.  A nice inscribed leather siddur/tehilim/other sefer is always a thoughtful gift.

-1
He wrote that he's getting him a nice sefer , and a GC. Gotta feed the kids nefesh habahami for instant gratification while the Pirkei Avos will (hopefully) turn into something treasured and meaningful.

[AJK]

It's fine for plenty of gifts, but seems a bit impersonal as a nephew's BM gift to me.

You must have missed the part where he said he was going to give it in conjunction with a pirkei avos.

Anyway, the topic then under discussion was BB GC vs. Amazon GC. I simply stated my vote for Amazon.

I think it's always best to give a gift that you can somehow inscribe, if possible.
And even a regular gift that will just stay around a few years is more likely to be remembered then consumables.

Sounds like you want to give a gift where YOU will be remembered.

What do you think the bar mitzvah boy would prefer?