Download Ethics - Rites of Passage Revision

Ethics - Rites of Passage Revision
Coming of Age Rites
What is a bar mitzvah and a bat mitzvah?
They are both special ceremonies where Jewish boys (aged 13) and girls (aged 12) can become adults in the
eyes of the Jewish religion.
Bar mitzvah is for boys and means Son of the Commandment.
Bat mitzvah is for girls and means Daughter of the Commandment.
Death Rites
The ways in which religious people deal with death and the funeral rites they carry out are
usually very closely linked with their beliefs about life after death.
Funeral rites
Funeral rites are very important for two reasons:


They show respect for the dead and, in some religions, include various ceremonies which people believe are necessary to
ensure that people go on to whatever their next life will be.
Perhaps more importantly, they give the relatives and friends of the deceased time to mourn and show their grief in a
certain way. People often say that showing their grief formally helps them to get over their loss.
GTC Yr8 Revision 11th Dec 2014
JEWISH BIRTH RITES
Keywords and Spellings
baptism
Bar Mitzvah
burial
celebration
ceremony
christening
festival
funeral
Judaism
marriage
relationship
rite
a ceremony to admit a
person into the Christian
Church using water
a religious ceremony for
Jewish boys who have
reached the age of 13
burying a dead body
to hold a party or other
event on a special occasion
an important event such as
a wedding or funeral
a ceremony to baptise a
child in a Christian Church
a time when people
celebrate a special event
a ceremony at which a dead
person is buried or
cremated
the religion of Jewish
people
two people form a legal
partnership
the way people or things
are related with each other
a ceremony or ritual
GTC Yr8 Revision 11th Dec 2014
Circumcision or Brit Milah
Any child born to a Jewish mother is considered a Jew. A Jewish girl does not have to go through the
same initiation ceremony as a baby boy. The Brit Milah (circumcision ceremony) is an important
initiation rite for young Jewish boys.
Circumcision is a religious requirement on Jews recalling the covenant that God made with
Abraham. This Ceremony takes place when the child is eight days old.
The Brit Milah is usually attended by men. The child is placed on the lap of a male friend or relative
who has the honour of being the Sandek. He has the responsibility of holding the child still whilst
the circumcision is performed by a Mohel.
Naming the baby
Baby boys are also given their names at their circumcisions; it is customary to keep the name a
secret before the ceremony. It is traditional for the child to receive his or her name at the first
public gathering, so if the child is a girl, then she will be named at the first public reading of the
Torah at the Synagogue.