bar mitzvah

     

In Juaism, Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew: בר מצוה, "one (m.) to whom the commandments apply"), Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה, "one (f.) to whom the commandments apply," or Bas Mitzvah in Ashkenazi pronunciation), and B'nai Mitzvah (pl.), are the terms to describe the coming of age of a Jewish boy or girl. According to Jewish law, when Jewish children reach the age of majority (generally thirteen years for boys and twelve for girls) they become responsible for their actions, and "become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah." In many Conservative and Reform synagogues, girls celebrate their Bat Mitzvahs at age 13, along with boys. This also coincides with physical puberty. Prior to this, the child's parents are responsible for the child's adherence to Jewish law and tradition, and after this age, children bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics and are privileged to participate in all areas of Jewish community life.

Trivia about bar mitzvah

  • The relatives come from all over the country to celebrate this ceremony of a Jewish boy becoming a man
  • During this Jewish ceremony, a father thanks God for being freed of legal responsibility for his son's actions
  • This ceremony marks a Jewish boy's entry into manhood
  • This Jewish right of passage marks a boy's 13th birthday
  • This synagogue ceremony marking manhood dates to the Middle Ages
  • In 1999 83-year-old Kirk Douglas celebrated his second of these, because 70 is a traditional life span
  • The ceremony called a bar mitzvah in English is this in German
  • Having missed out on this ceremony at age 13, Henny Youngman had one in 180 at age 73