An Observation of a Bat Mitzvah

The chevron mitsvah is not actually a watching or Lords Supper of passage as m all people believe. It is actually a boy of the Jewish religion who has attained the age of 13. It is thus a heavy status that is automatically ascribed with no need for ceremony or any other apparitional rite. A parallelism would be attaining adult age, typically 18 in near societies.The bar mitsvah pertains to viriles while a cream off mitsvah is to females, and females become thresh about mitzvot (plural of mitzvah) at the age of 12. forbid or bat mitzvah translates to a coming of age and signifies the change everywhere of the sister to that of beginning adulthood insofar as religious put on was concerned, and be counted as part of the minyan or quorum for public prayer. While it is astray practiced, there is actually no direct find of it in the Talmud.Because women be traditionally not allowed to discover from the Torah, it was a momentous occasion when in 1922 the daughter of Rabb i Mordecai M. Kaplan was the first bat mitzvah to read from the Torah in exultation of her 12th birthday. (The first American bat mitzvah) Today, many youth girls celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah with a rhetoric that rivals that of a Sweet 16 birthday companionship.I. The CeremonyThe synagogue was a study of the diversity in the US. On one and only(a) side was the families of the dickens girls who were to become bat mitzvot and since one of the girls was an adoptee of Chinese descent and the adoptive return was not Jewish, there were preferably a few who were not. Among the congregation, many were not Jewish as well, guests of the girls and their families who were to join in the celebration. (Schapiro)A box of commemorative yarmulke or distinctive skullcap enabled male guests to help themselves to one because it is evaluate that they cover their heads when participating in the service. However, only Jewish males over 13 wore the ritual fringes called the talit. Aside from th is, there did not seem to be a distinction in dress for Jews and non-Jews.Some small sisterren were present, and were quite surprisingly free to get up and roam as they successful as long as they be bugger offd. The unruly ones were quietly led past to what can only be supposed is a playroom.On the easterly wall of the synagogue, the Ark is evident. This is the repository of the Torah, and above the Ark is a light called the Ner Tamid or sempiternal light. There is also a representation of the Tablets of the Covenant.On the bima, the raised course of study on which the service was to be conducted. The two girls were seated on the proper(ip) side of the altar. The girls fathers laid the prayer shawl on their respective daughters shoulders, signifying a transfer of power, or responsibility, whichever perspective works, and the choir raised their interpreter in a welcoming song in Hebrew.The rabbi commenced with the reading, and at for each(prenominal) one part the congregation was t rare when to sit or stand. This was especially helpful for non-Jewish participants of the service. The girls so were directed to approach the Ark where the Torah scrolls were kept. Each took their scroll and carried it around the sanctuary, as each Jewish guest touch their prayer books to it to signify love and faithfulness to its teachings.The girls then took their place at the bima in front of the congregation to read out the scrolls in Hebrew. This is referred to as the aliyah. The girls each read part of Chapter 21 of Exodus which was the reading for the Shabbat for that week. Afterwards, each girl gave a speech in English, a drash about how the experience preparing for becoming bat mitzvot had meant to them. Each girl then touched the fringe of their prayer shawl to the Torah beforehand kissing it and returning to their seat. The parents (excepting the non-Jewish mother) spoke before the congregation thanking God for the forbearance of freeing them from the responsib ility for their childs sins. This part was spoken in English.The rabbi then said a few words directed at the new bat mitzvot and the girls then proceeded with the concluding prayers, the Haftorah and then the ceremony was over. The following(a) part of the celebration was the fun part, the Kiddush and seudat mitzvah that translates today to a party held outside the synagogue, where speeches and advice are liberally presumptuousness for the elucidation of the new bat mitzvah. Traditional gifts with associations with the number 18 (considered a lucky number in Jewish tradition, means also life) and more generic gifts were given at the reception. ( contain and Bat mitsvah Rich Gifts)II. Discussion mitsvah is the word for commandment, and bat is daughter so a bat mitzvah is a daughter of the commandment. The whole evince of this rite is to commemorate the childs coming of age but the way it is practiced tends to be highly adaptable to the particular societal context. The ceremony it self has no mention in the Talmud so the rituals have evolved over meter and application. (Bar & angstrom bat mitzvah)Preparation for the bar or bat mitzvah typically begins a year or more prior to the intercommunicate date, especially for modern Jews or those who are impudently converted. This is to allow the child to become familiar with the Jewish commandments, prayer, history and the Hebrew language. A orotund portion of this education is overseen by the cantor, or scholar.The responsibilities of the bat mitzvah includes the tutelage of the mitzvot or commandments as embodied in the Torah, all 613 of them. She is also expected to observe rituals such as fasting days. Interestingly enough, this is also considered the point in which the bat mitzvah can decide to remain or not within the faith. Because of this, a confirmation ceremony is slated for the 16th or 18th year of the bat mitzvah in some communities. (Bar/bat mitzvah)More orthodox Jewish families prepare their male ch ildren for eventual emancipation by starting their preparations at kindergarten age and beyond the age of bar mitzvah. Orthodox Jews do not allow women to act in religious services, so becoming a bat mitzvah in these communities does not include the service and is usually celebrated at home with a small party that merely commemmorates the childs 12th birthday.Reformist sects take the cue from their spiritual leader, the rabbi. This was what happened to Judith Kaplan the daughter of Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan, who believed women should be given equal consideration and vastness in the community. However, for the longest time bat mitzvot usually celebrated on a Friday rather than on the Shabbat, or did not read directly from the Torah, so deeply inhering was the bias against women in the Jewish orthodoxy. (The first American bat mitzvah)With the influence of American society and growing diversity in religion, in time practice has been inevitably affected. The number of religious inte rmarriages is rising and many religious groups have seen the wisdom of adapting to the changing society.This is especially apparent in the ceremony described above. The bar mitzvot are now allowed to read from the Torah, and are instructed in this by the cantor with the benevolent overseeing of the rabbi himself. They participate fully in the ceremony, and the feature that one of the parents is non-Jewish is no longer a big issue as long as they play a supine role in the service itself. Outsiders are welcome to participate in a passive manner as well, and religious scholars are more than willing to let off the intricacies of the service to the clueless.There is even a growing trend among newly converted Jews who become bar or bat mitzvah in ceremonies held at any point in their life, some as old as 80. Because these people came into the faith late in life, they are considered to have attained a coming of age when they have mastered the bedrock of the Jewish religion.III. Conclus ionFor all children, rites of passage are important highlights in their lives. For Jewish children in particular, the concept of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah and the formal celebration of the event focuses on the importance of having a straightforward knowledge of Judaism. At the same time, it serves as inducting a sense of belonging for children, which at this particular point in their lives is of import for optimal development.Because survival of the congregation that is yearly becoming diverse, even the most stringent religious traditions have been compelled to unbend and accommodate the evolving population. The practice of commemorating the becoming of a bat mitzvah is a particularly good example of this accommodation.Works CitedBar and Bat Mitzvah. Encyclopedia of childhood and Adolescence. 20010406. FindArticles.com. 17 Jul. 2007. http//findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2602/is_0000/ai_2602000074Bar & bat mitzvah. Jewish Celebrations. 2007. Mazornet.com. 18 July 2007 <h ttp//www.mazornet.com/jewishcl/mitzvah.htm>.Bar/bat mitzvah. Patriarchy Website.January 2000. Israel CS Lim. 18 July 2007 <http//www.patriarchywebsite.com/bib-patriarchy/bar-bat-mitzvah.htm>.Rich, Tracey. Bar Mitzvah and bat mitzvah. Judaism 101. 2005. JewFAQ.org. 18 July 2007 <http//www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm>.Schapiro, Moshe. What is a bar or bat mitzvah? Jewish Lifecycles. 18 January 2000. Aish HaTorah. 18 July 2007 <http//www.aish.com/literacy/lifecycle/what_is_a_bar_or_bat_mitzvah$.asp>.The first American bat mitzvah. Jewish Virtual Library. 2007. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 18 July 2007 <http//www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/firstbat.html>.