As evidenced by many different world religions, it is important to acknowledge key milestones in life. Such ceremonies are known as ‘Rites of Passage’. In Jewish tradition, all life cycle events have rituals which mark these. In this section we will look at Birth Ceremonies and those of Marriage, Divorce and Death. (Bar/Bat Mitzvah and […]
In this article I will be investigating this milestone in a Jewish child’s life and why it is so important. What is it? Bar/Bat – in Hebrew Bar means son and Bat means daughter. The word Mitzvah means Commandment but it also has the added meaning of an ‘honour’ – a deed one does in
Kabbalat Torah (literally receiving, accepting the Torah) is a ceremony offered by Progressive Communities for fifteen or sixteen year old post Bar/Bat Mitzvah boys and girls. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘rite of Confirmation’. Why? It is felt that at thirteen years of age it is very young for a youngster to take