| nt years, Bar Mitzvahs (for a boy) or Bat Mitzvahs | | | | by God's commandments, i.e. becomes eligible to |
| (for a girl) have become reason for a big celebration | | | | count in a prayer quorum, lead prayer services, |
| with family and friends that can be easily compared | | | | testify before a religious court ant to marry. After |
| to anniversaries and weddings. The bar or bat | | | | reaching 13 years of age, Jewish boys and girls are |
| mitzvah is a relatively modern innovation, not | | | | considered adults and are fully responsible for their |
| mentioned in the Talmud, and the elaborate | | | | moral and religious duties in addition to becoming a full |
| ceremonies and receptions that are commonplace | | | | member of the Jewish community. |
| today were unheard of as recently as a century ago. | | | | Unlike boys, there isn't a long history of |
| Nowadays, the religious service is followed by a | | | | coming-of-age rituals for girls. Rather, the idea of |
| celebration at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah venue, that is often | | | | such a ceremony for girls, called a bat mitzvah, |
| as fancy as a wedding venue. Gifts are commonly | | | | developed as the bar mitzvah became popular in |
| given at the reception, not at the service itself, and | | | | Europe for boys. Historians discovered evidence that |
| the nature of the gift varies significantly depending | | | | families began honoring their daughters with a special |
| on the community. At one time, the most common | | | | meal for their twelfth birthday in some European |
| gifts were college supplies; today, however, the gifts | | | | countries about 200 years ago. |
| are the same sort that you would give any child for | | | | Even though the bar mitzvah ceremony is not |
| his 13th birthday. The newest Bar Mitzvah tradition is | | | | required by law and does not fulfill any |
| a Party Theme with favors like glow whistles, hats, | | | | commandment, today many families celebrate the |
| masks, party-poppers and confetti to add the special | | | | occasion of a boy becoming a man with lavish |
| touches. But where does this tradition come from? | | | | parties, often at the most extraordinary Bar/Bat |
| Contrary to what many believe, the bar mitzvah | | | | Mitzvah venue. In its most basic form, a bar mitzvah |
| ceremony did not originate from the Bible; it was | | | | is the celebrant's first aliyah. During Shabbat services |
| known long before the Jewish religion existed. | | | | on a Saturday shortly after the child's 13th birthday, |
| Historians have discovered evidence of such rites of | | | | or even the Monday or Thursday weekday services |
| passage in ancient tribes and cultures. According to | | | | immediately after the child's 13th birthday, the |
| Jewish Law, every Jewish boy becomes a bar | | | | celebrant is called up to the Torah to recite a blessing |
| mitzvah at age 13, and twelve was the age chosen | | | | over the weekly reading. Today, it is common |
| for a Jewish girl's passage into adulthood since girls | | | | practice for the bar mitzvah celebrant to do much |
| physically mature earlier than boys. "Bar" is "son", | | | | more. The celebrant usually learns the entire haftarah |
| "Bat" is “daughter” and "Mitzvah" is | | | | portion and recites it, or leads part of the service, or |
| "commandment" in both Hebrew and Aramaic. So | | | | leads the congregation in certain important prayers. |
| "Bar Mitzvah" literally means "son of the | | | | The celebrant is also generally required to make a |
| commandment", but the term is often misused to | | | | speech, which usually begins with the phrase "today I |
| refer to the coming of age ceremony itself. The | | | | am a man". The father traditionally recites a blessing |
| tradition of celebrating this event goes back to 15th | | | | thanking God for removing the burden of being |
| century, and was initially meant for boys only. | | | | responsible for the son's sins. |
| According to Torah, a bar mitzvah becomes obligated | | | | |