Bar and Bat Mitzvah

minutes everyday!”. “Practice at LEAST 4 times” proclaimed my Bat Mitzvah tutor. These are just a few examples of what I had to go through when I was becoming Bat Mitzvahed. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a life achievement for Jewish children to become young adults. As to many who have gone through this lengthy process, looking at what I have to do every week seriously overwhelmed me. Even though I’m making it seem that becoming a Bat Mitzvah is a tiring, uninteresting process, it’s actually the…

Introduction When we grow out of childhood, there comes a stage in life known as adolescence. This period in an individual’s life is perceived to be the coming of age in which the individual prepares to tackle the physical, mental, and spiritual changes undertaken before adulthood. In western society, the coming of age is followed by an increase in responsibility and privilege. Whether it be caretaking of their younger kin, driving an automobile, or entering the work force, adolescence is a…

Wow I remember this day like it's was just yesterday. I was so scared and nervous that I was going to mess up on the big day, my Bar Mitzvah was on a Saturday morning all eyes on me as I did all of my prayers. I could remember the days before that my parents and religious leaders would always say practice over and over again I kept hearing it in my brain that day. I knew that I could not prove them wrong and do my best I can. I remember my dad always say “jake let me hear you practice before you…

and others by reaching a certain level of maturity. A person’s ideal for coming of age will differ based on their environment. My grandfather and the older generations of my family are Jewish, so a big part of coming of age for them was their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. These occur when a Jewish child turns thirteen. The child…

have Hebrew School where they would learn how to read Hebrew and all the blessings that go along with each service. A year before her Bat Mitzvah, she would get tutored to help her learn about the blessings. At her Bat Mitzvah it was her first time reading from the Torah because you cannot be asked to read from it for a service unless you have had your Bar Mitzvah. She got to undress the Torah and bring it around the room. Then she gave a blessing and read a section of the Torah aloud and after…

us to attend the Touro Synagogue I knew exactly where it was. I took my visit on a Saturday morning and to my surprise it was a bar mitzvah. Therefore, not only would this be my first time attending a service but also a bar mitzvah. The family was very welcoming and came an introduced themselves to our group and gave us a little history about the tradition of a bar mitzvah. Once the service started, it reminded me of the catholic services attended in high school. The service was very upbeat and…

A rite of passage is a ceremony that represents the transition of a person’s life from one stage to another. In everyday life, a rite of passage can be a graduation ceremony, a job promotion, or even a divorce! Four of the most common rites of passage in relations to religion is birth, puberty, marriage, and death. In basic religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, those rites act as a spiritual guide for living a religious life and reinforces the values of their culture. It is…

a ritual and other life moments. In today's society, there is no reason to hold a traditional coming of age ritual. In modern times not everyone is brought up in a family that will supply a traditional celebration like a Quinceañera or a Bat or Bar Mitzvah and yet, people will still make it to the end of their road. I chose this topic because at the ripe age of 17, I am currently attempting to find what stage I am at. I am going through untraditional ‘American coming of age rituals’ after…

Upon arriving at The Temple B’nai Jeshurun I was not exactly sure what to expect or what I had got myself into. I had assumed that my class would be looked at weird and treated funny because we were spectating their Jewish worship. However, after arriving in the sanctuary the people were very friendly and welcoming. Some even came up to us and shook our hands and told us they were glad to have us there. Sally Frank was very helpful and mentioned someone of the holidays we had learned about in…

There are many ways that women have been treated unequally when it comes to religions. One of these ways is how women are not allowed to become religious leaders, but I do not think that it is the worst way that women have been treated. Through Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Shinto there are many ways that women are treated unequally that are worse than women not being able to become religious leaders. Women have been treated unequally when it comes to women being able to become…