Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah
"Bar Mitzvah" literally means "son of
the commandment." "Bar" is "son" in Aramaic, which used to be the vernacular of
the Jewish people "Mitzvah" is "commandment" in both Hebrew and Aramaic. "Bat" is daughter
in Hebrew and Aramaic.
Under Jewish Law, children are not
obligated to observe the commandments, although they are encouraged to do so as
much as possible to learn the obligations they will have as adults. At the age
of 13 (12 for girls), children become obligated to observe the commandments. The
Bar Mitzvah ceremony formally marks the assumption of that obligation, along
with the corresponding right to take part in leading religious services, to count in a
minyan, to
form binding contracts, to testify before religious courts and to marry.
A Jewish boy automatically becomes a
Bar Mitzvah upon reaching the age of 13 years. No ceremony is needed to confer
these rights and obligations. In its earliest
and most basic form, a Bar Mitzvah is the celebrant's first aliyah. During
Shabbat services on a Saturday shortly after
the child's 13th birthday, the celebrant is called up to the Torah to recite a
blessing
over the weekly reading.
Today, it is common practice for the
Bar Mitzvah celebrant to do much more than just say the blessing. It is most
common for the celebrant to learn the entire haftarah portion, including its
traditional chant, and recite that. In some congregations, the celebrant reads
the entire weekly torah portion, or leads part of the service, or leads the
congregation in certain important prayers. In
modern times, the religious service is followed by a reception that is often as
elaborate as a wedding reception.
In Orthodox and Chasidic practice, women are not permitted
to participate in religious services in these ways, so a bat mitzvah, if
celebrated at all, is usually little more than a party. In other movements of Judaism, the
girls do exactly the same thing as the boys.
It is important to note that a bar
mitzvah is not the goal of a Jewish education, nor is it a graduation ceremony
marking the end of a person's Jewish education. We are obligated to study
Torah
throughout our lives. To emphasize this point, some rabbis require a bar mitzvah
student to sign an agreement promising to continue Jewish education after the
bar mitzvah.
