What are the traditions of Bat Mitzvah?
“In Jewish culture, a bar/bat mitzvah is the occasion to take responsibility for oneself and to take responsibility for 'tikkun olam' (repairing the world), contributing to your community,” said Fischer, of Boca Raton.
What does it mean to "become a bat mitzvah?
What Does Becoming A Bar Mitzvah Mean? The bar or bat mitzvah symbolizes a child's maturing in Judaism. In the eyes of those of the faith as well as those who subscribe to them, Jewish men in the age group of 13 become a bar mitzvah, the "son of the commandments," and are subject to intense scrutiny for their actions.
What does bat mitzvah mean in English?
The word "mitzvah" is Hebrew for "commandment." The term "bat mitzvah" refers to two things: it is used to describe a girl when she comes of age at 12-years-old and also refers to the religious ceremony in more liberal Jewish communities that accompanies a girl becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
What is the origin and meaning of the word 'Mitzvah'?
The other answers explain two usages of the word mitzvah. 1. The original Hebrew meaning is commandment, one of the 613 things G-d commanded us in the Torah to do or not to do. This includes the Ten Commandments, but also numerous other rules. Ort...
Why is the mitzvah important?
The mitzvot are seen as points of guidance to help Jewish people use their free will correctly. Jews believe that they have free will to follow the mitzvot. They believe that, by following the mitzvot, they will live a good life, meaning that they will be closer to God.
What is the purpose of having a bar mitzvah?
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is an official recognition of the transition of a child into an adult. It's a touching moment for the family whose little boy or girl is growing up, and it's also a recognition of the responsibilities that the individual being celebrated takes on as an adult.
What it means to be a Bat Mitzvah?
Definition of bat mitzvah (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a Jewish girl who at 12 or more years of age assumes religious responsibilities. 2 : the initiatory ceremony recognizing a girl as a bat mitzvah.
What is the purpose of a bar?
Bars, by definition, are the places where people go to consume numerous alcoholic beverages. The primary objective of bars is to provide you with as many different alcoholic drinks or liquors as possible. They also offer snacks like chips or nuts to eat, and some may even provide food from a dinner menu.
Why is a bar mitzvah at age 13?
The age of thirteen is mentioned in the Mishnah as the time one is obligated to observe the Torah's commandments: "At five years old one should study the Scriptures, at ten years for the Mishnah, at 13 for the commandments..."
What happens at a bar mitzvah for a boy?
The bar mitzvah ceremony is a religious event that celebrates when a Jewish boy reaches the age of maturity and becomes responsible for his own actions. The bar mitzvah ceremony consists of a number of traditional rituals, including the reading of the Torah, the giving of a speech, and the breaking of a glass.
Is bar mitzvah in the Bible?
The roots of the bar mitzvah, which literally means “son of the commandments,” are obscure. The term never once appears in the Hebrew Bible.
Can non Jews attend a bar mitzvah?
Each community has its limits and privileges. Just as a non-Christian would not take communion, so, too, synagogues have frameworks within which non-Jewish family members can participate. Teach non-Jewish family members about the upcoming ceremony of Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
What is a bat and bat mitzvah?
The Bar & Bat Mitzvah is the moment in the Jewish life cycle that most deeply defines who Jews are as a people. The Bat & Bar Mitzvah ceremony celebrates the link in an unbroken chain of thousands of years of Jewish tradition. The words Bar & Bat Mitzvah literally mean “Son & Daughter of the Mitzvah.” In addition to meaning “commandment” the word Mitzvah also means “connection.” When a child reaches to the age of Bat & Bar Mitzvah, she/he assumes a greater maturity in her/his connection to Torah and Mitzvot, to her/his own Jewish identity, to the Jewish people as a whole, and to G‑d.
What does the word "mitzvah" mean?
In addition to meaning “commandment” the word Mitzvah also means “connection. ”. When a child reaches to the age of Bat & Bar Mitzvah, she/he assumes a greater maturity in her/his connection to Torah and Mitzvot, to her/his own Jewish identity, to the Jewish people as a whole, and to G‑d.
When was the first bat mitzvah?
The first-known bat mitzvah in North America was that of Judith Kaplan, the daughter of Mordecai Kaplan, in 1921 . Reform Judaism (which had by this time reintroduced bar mitzvah) and then Conservative congregations quickly adopted bat mitzvah, though in slightly different forms.
When did bar mitzvah start?
While the beginnings of the modern bar mitzvah ceremony appeared as early as the sixth century C.E., it was not until the Middle Ages that a fully developed ritual emerged. By the 13th or 14th century, the custom of calling a boy up to the Torah was established as the way of recognizing entry into manhood.
What is the name of the gala feast that the bar mitzvah boy would give?
The bar mitzvah boy would often give a scholarly address on the Torah portionor some section of the Talmud. Then followed a gala feast, called s'udat mitzvah ("meal of celebrating the performance of a mitzvah"), to which family, friends, and sometimes the entire Jewish community would be invited.
What is the meaning of the word "bar"?
The word bar is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ben (son of). While bar and bat mitzvah are often used to refer to the ceremony, the terms also refer to the child. Thus, a boy if referred to as a "bar mitzvah" and a girl as a "bat mitzvah.". Historically, first bar mitzvah and later bat mitzvah represented a ceremonial recognition ...
What does "bar" mean in Hebrew?
What is the meaning of bar/bat mitzvah? Bar and bat mitzvah mean, literally, "son and daughter of the commandment.". Bat mitzvah is Hebrew, while bar mitzvah, historically a much earlier ceremony, is Aramaic. The word bar is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ben (son of). While bar and bat mitzvah are often used to refer to the ceremony, ...
How to prepare for a bar mitzvah?
In addition to Jewish history, observance, and the study of Torah, children learn how to participate in and lead worship. As part of the preparation to become a bar or bat mitzvah, most synagogues ask boys and girls to participate in a mitzvah project. In doing so, they apply their Jewish learning to help make the world a better place.
What is a child called when they become a bar mitzvah?
Once a child becomes a bar or bat mitzvah, they may now be counted in a minyan, the quorum required for the recitation of certain prayers during a worship service. They may now be called for an aliyah, or invited to read from the Torah on future occasions. A child, having become a bar or bat mitzvah, may now go on to advanced Jewish learning in ...
What is the Jewish law of bat mitzvah?
According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they are said to “become” a bar or bat mitzvah, at which point they begin to be held accountable for their own actions.
Where are bar and bat mitzvahs held?
Bar and bat mitzvah parties among wealthy Jewish families in North America are often lavish affairs held at hotels and country clubs with hundreds of guests. The trend has been mocked, most notably in the movie Keeping Up with the Steins. In the 1950s, Rabbi Harold Saperstein of New York described them as too often being "more bar than mitzvah". Rabbi Shmuley Boteach says that over-the-top bar mitzvah parties were already common when he was growing up in Miami in the 1970s.
What age do you become a bat mitzvah?
All Jewish boys, and Reform Jewish girls, become bar or bat mitzvahs at age 13, whereas Orthodox and Conservative Jewish girls become bat mitzvahs at age 12. After this point, children are also held responsible for knowing Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics, and are able to participate in all areas of Jewish community life to the same extent as adults. (In some Jewish communities, men’s and women’s roles differ in certain respects. For example, in Orthodox Judaism, once a boy turns 13, it is permitted to count him for the purpose of determining whether there is a prayer quorum, and he may lead prayer and other religious services in the family and the community.)
Why did the B'nai Mitzvah Revolution happen?
In 2012, concern about the high post-bar/bat mitzvah drop out rate led the Union for Reform Judaism to launch the B'nai Mitzvah Revolution, an effort to shift Reform congregations away from "the long-held assumption that religious school is about preparing kids for their bar/bat mitzvah" and focus instead on teaching them how to become committed and involved members of the Jewish community.
What does the word "bar" mean in Hebrew?
Bar ( בַּר ) is a Jewish Babylonian Aramaic word meaning "son" ( בֵּן , ben in Hebrew), while bat ( בַּת ) means "daughter " in Hebrew, and mitzvah ( מִצְוָה ) means "commandment" or "law" (plural: mitzvot ). Thus bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah literally translate to "son of commandment" and "daughter of commandment". However, in rabbinical usage, the word bar means "under the category of" or "subject to". Bar mitzvah therefore translates to " [one] who is subject to the law". Although the term is commonly used to refer to the ritual itself, the phrase originally refers to the person.
When do you put on tefillin for a bar mitzvah?
The common custom is for the bar mitzvah boy to begin putting on tefillin one to three months before his bar mitzvah.
When was the bar mitzvah invented?
Many sources indicate that the ceremonial observation of a bar mitzvah developed in the Middle Ages.
What is a bat mitzvah?
Therefore, they are called a bar/ bat mitzvah, which literally means a “son/daughter of the commandment,” or a “man/woman obligated to do mitzvahs ,” since they are now responsible for keeping the Torah and its mitzvahs.
When does a boy have his bar mitzvah?
I know that a girl has her bat mitzvah on her 12th Hebrew birthday, and a boy has his bar mitzvah when he turns 13. Why are these two ages designated for this milestone, and why do boys lag behind by a year?
What does the Talmud say about the world?
And the Talmud tells us that this world only exists by virtue of the Torah that comes from the mouths of children who study Torah. In short, the Torah and Mitzvot done by a child not only sustains the world, but stand in the child's merit for all time. Reply. Anonymous Nibley March 30, 2019.
What age do you start doing mitzvahs?
The ages of 12 and 13 are around the time when most young adults typically begin to physically mature and reach puberty. 1 Additionally, when a boy turns 13 and a girl turns 12, they are considered to have reached the “age of maturity,” a time when they have developed enough understanding to be responsible for their actions. Therefore, they are called a bar/ bat mitzvah, which literally means a “son/daughter of the commandment,” or a “man/woman obligated to do mitzvahs ,” since they are now responsible for keeping the Torah and its mitzvahs.
Who is Rabbi Shurpin?
Rabbi Shurpin is the rabbi of the Chabad Shul in St. Louis Park, Minn., where he resides with his wife, Ester, and their children.
Does Chabad.org share email address?
Please send me Chabad.org's weekly Magazine and periodic emails. We will not share your email address.
Is bar mitzvah a graduation?
A bar mitzvah is not a graduation, when we celebrate an accomplishment of the past. On the contrary, it is a beginning. It is the start of an adult life, in which one more Jewish person will serve G‑d using his or her newfound wisdom to make the world a better, more G‑dly place. Mazal tov!
Why is Bar Mitzvah important?
Bar Mitzvah celebrations are important to Jewish communities as a whole, promoting togetherness and the importance of faith. For adults who never had a Bar Mitzvah as a teen or have recently converted, the rite also ushers them into their new congregation and binds them to their faith, according to My Jewish Learning.
What is the significance of Bar Mitzvah?
Celebrations, holidays and rites of passage are central to the Jewish faith; the Bar Mitzvah, which recognizes the transition into adulthood and the responsibilities that follow , is one of the most important. Often, intense study and preparation precedes a Bar Mitzvah, though elaborate parties are also commonplace and may overshadow religious ...
Is bat mitzvah allowed in Hasidic?
Some branches of Judaism have a similar ceremony for girls, known as a Bat Mitzvah, though this is not allowed in Hasidic or Orthodox communities.
Is a bar mitzvah a party?
Though Bar Mitzvahs are often thought of as one big party, the food, dancing and music in many modern celebrations takes place after and apart from religious rites. A large party-like event is not required by the Torah, and is in many ways a modern invention.
Etymology
Origin
Early history
- The first-known bat mitzvah in North America was that of Judith Kaplan, the daughter of Mordecai Kaplan, in 1921. Reform Judaism (which had by this time reintroduced bar mitzvah) and then Conservative congregations quickly adopted bat mitzvah, though in slightly different forms.
Significance
- In Reform synagogues, girls and boys mark symbolic entry into Jewish adulthood at age thirteen. The bar or bar mitzvah is usually celebrated on the Shabbat closest to the child's thirteenth birthday. Congregations usually schedule these dates a couple of years in advance, giving the family plenty of time to plan for the day. Most families consider the synagogue the most meanin…
Services
- Depending on the congregation, boys and girls may conduct all or part of the service, read or chant the b'rachot over the Torah (an aliyah), read a section from the Torah portionfor that week, read or chant the b'rachot for the haftarah, read a section from the haftarah, and deliver a sermon.
Use
- In Reform Judaism, any adult Jewish member of the congregation may be called up to the Torah for an aliyah at any Torah service. It is common practice in all branches of Judaism to mark with an aliyah occasions such as the birth of a child, an impending marriage, or recovery from an illness.
Preparation
- For bar/bat mitzvah to be both a meaningful and substantive Jewish moment, it is essential that it be based on more than a crash course of study. Several years in the religious/Hebrew school of a synagogue prior to bar/bat mitzvah is recommended as a minimum of requisite Jewish education. In addition to Jewish history, observance, and the study of Torah, children learn how to participa…
Culture
- While the custom of each congregational community most often dictates the form of bar/bat mitzvah parties, more Jewish families today invest the celebration with deeper Jewish feeling. Israeli dancing and singing, for example, as well as the giving of tzedakah, are evident more than ever. Jews love simchahs and celebrations with family and friends,...
Overview
Bar mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּר מִצְוָה) and bat mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּת מִצְוָה; Ashkenazi pronunciation: bas mitzveh) refer to the Jewish coming of age ritual (the word Bar is used for a boy, and Bat/Bas for a girl). The plural is b'nei mitzvah for both boys and mixed gender groups, or b'not mitzvah (Ashkenazi pronunciation: b'nos mitzvah) for girls. B'mitzvah, Simchat Mitzvah, or other non-gendered terms ar…
Etymology
Bar (בַּר) is a Jewish Babylonian Aramaic word meaning "son" (בֵּן, ben in Hebrew), while bat (בַּת) means "daughter" in Hebrew, and mitzvah (מִצְוָה) means "commandment" or "law" (plural: mitzvot). Thus bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah literally translate to "son of commandment" and "daughter of commandment". However, in rabbinical usage, the word bar means "under the category of" or "subject to". Bar mitzvah therefore translates to "[one] who is subject to the law". Although the ter…
History
The modern method of celebrating becoming a bar mitzvah did not exist in the time of the Hebrew Bible, Mishnah, or Talmud. Early rabbinic sources specify 13 as the age at which a boy becomes a legal adult; however, the celebration of this occasion is not mentioned until the Middle Ages.
The Bible does not explicitly specify the age of 13. Passages in the books of Ex…
Significance
Reaching the age of bar or bat mitzvah signifies becoming a full-fledged member of the Jewish community with the responsibilities that come with it. These include moral responsibility for one's own actions; eligibility to be called to read from the Torah and lead or participate in a minyan; the right to possess personal property and to legally marry on one's own according to Jewish law; the duty to follow the 613 laws of the Torah and keep the halakha; and the capacity to testify as a wit…
Aliyah to the Torah
The widespread practice is that on a Sabbath shortly after a boy turns 13, they are called up for an aliyah, the ceremony of reading a portion of the Torah section of the day.
There are seven main sections, plus an eighth, known as maftir, which is also connected to the reading of that day's haftorah section. It is most common to g…
Tefillin
The obligation to lay tefillin begins when a boy reaches bar mitzvah age. The common custom is for the bar mitzvah boy to begin putting on tefillin one to three months before his bar mitzvah. This way, by the time he is obligated in the commandment, he will already know how to fulfill it properly.
Parties
As the first mention of a party associated with a synagogue bar mitzvah was in the 13th century, hosting some sort of party is traditional and frequently considered necessary.
Bar mitzvah festivities typically include a joyous seudat mitzvah, a celebratory meal with family, friends, and members of the community, the bar mitzvah bo…
Bat Mitzvah customs
Today many non-Orthodox Jews celebrate a girl's bat mitzvah or a non-binary teen's simchat mitzvah in the same way as a boy's bar mitzvah. All Reform and Reconstructionist, and most Conservative synagogues have egalitarian participation, in which women read from the Torah and lead services. In Orthodox communities, a Bat Mitzvah is celebrated when a girl reaches the ag…