Download Judaism: A Bar Mitzvah

Judaism: A Bar Mitzvah
It is important for all adult members of a Jewish community to take their religious responsibilities very
seriously and to observe the rules given in the Torah. Once he has reached the age of 13, a Jewish boy
is considered to be grown up enough to accept his duties and to understand the Jewish laws and live his
life according to them. At this point he has become Bar Mitzvah, which literally means “Son of the
Commandments.” The ceremony to celebrate this event – also called a Bar Mitzvah – takes place in a
synagogue on the first Sabbath (Saturday) following the boy’s 13th birthday. A Jewish girl’s coming-of-age
ceremony is called a Bat Mitzvah.
Before a boy’s Bar Mitzvah
● The boy must work very hard to learn
everything he needs to know before his Bar
Mitzvah
● He may have to take lessons in Hebrew and
Jewish history with a rabbi (a Jewish teacher and
leader) for at least two years before his 13th
birthday, possibly followed by an exam
During a boy’s Bar Mitzvah
The boy is given his tallit (prayer shawl) for the
first time and wears it throughout the ceremony
● The boy recites the Hebrew blessing on the
Torah (part of the first five books of Jewish
scripture) before it is read at his Bar Mitzvah
● If his Hebrew is very good, he may also read a
passage from the Torah
●
After a boy’s Bar Mitzvah
In some Jewish communities there is a party or
meal after the Bar Mitzvah, where the boy
can celebrate with his friends and family
● From now on, the boy is considered a
man and is expected to carry out all his
religious responsibilities dutifully
●
A Jewish boy reads from the Torah, the
Jewish holy book, at his Bar Mitzvah
A girl’s Bat Mitzvah
Girls become Bat Mitzvah on their 12th
birthday.
● In the past, Jewish girls did not have a special
ceremony to celebrate their coming of age
Instead they tended to be married young, with
first their parents and then their husband
considered responsible for them
● Current practice is that many girls do have a
special Bat Mitzvah ceremony
● In Reform synagogues, a girl’s Bat Mitzvah is
very similar to a boy’s Bar Mitzvah, but in some
Orthodox synagogues there are differences: the
Bat Mitzvah takes place on a Sunday rather than
the Sabbath, and the girl recites a special prayer
rather than reading from the Torah
●