![]() ![]() ![]() Generally the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service takes place during the Sabbath morning service, where the child is called up to say the blessings over the Torah–his or her first aliyah. Beginning with Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan and the Reconstructionist Movement, this lifecycle event quickly spread throughout the Reform and Conservative movements, and variations of a Bat Mitzvah ceremony are found within many Orthodox communities as well. Because Jewish law limits a woman’s religious responsibilities primarily to commandments that are not time-bound (meaning, not required to be performed at a particular time), a woman’s Jewish activity occurred primarily within the private, familial realm rather than the public, communal one. The concept of a Bat Mitzvah ceremony within traditional Judaism is far more recent. The Bat Mitzvah ceremony observed today grew out of a broader societal focus on women’s rights, with the first American Bat Mitzvah occurring in 1922. ![]() The term Bar/Bat Mitzvah–which means “obligated to perform the Jewish mitzvot (commandments)–reflects the child’s newfound capabilities and responsibilities.” ( ref) They saw 12 and 13 as the ages at which girls and boys, respectively, were no longer entirely subject to impulse, but were beginning to develop a conscience. “For the Rabbis, the significance of this life-changing moment lay in the child’s new stage of physical, intellectual, and moral development. Today the speech, usually a commentary on the weekly Torah portion, generally takes place during the Shabbat morning service. By the 17th century, boys were also reading Torah and delivering talks, often on talmudic learning, at an afternoon meal. Only in the 14th century do sources begin mentioning a boy being called up to the Torah for the first time on the Sabbath coinciding with or following his 13th birthday. The ceremony that has become one of the most familiar Jewish rites of passages is actually a rather recent addition in the context of Jewish ritual history. Many people are surprised to find out that “becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah” happens automatically when a Jewish boy reaches the age of 13 or when a Jewish girl reaches 12. Rodeph Sholom School (Nursery - Grade 8). ![]()
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