When a Jewish child reaches the age of maturity (13 years for boys, 12 years for girls) that child, under Jewish law, becomes responsible for him/herself. At this point a boy is said to become Bar MitzvahWhen a Jewish boy becomes 13 years old (בר מצוה, "son of the commandment"); a girl is said to become Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה, "daughter of the commandment"). In Biblical Hebrew, the word "bar" or "bat" (pronounced "bas" in Ashkenazi Hebrew) could also mean "subject to," e.g., a particular tax, penalty, or obligation; therefore a more accurate translation of the term may actually be "subject to commandment." The plural form term for people of obligation is B'nai Mitzvah (or B'not Mitzvah if all the people are female), though when referring to multiple celebrations, many mistakenly say "Bar" or "Bat Mitzvot."
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In popular usage, the terms "Bar MitzvahWhen a Jewish boy becomes 13 years old" and "Bat Mitzvah" are often mistakenly used to refer to the event itself; however the term actually refers to the boy or girl. The event is often misunderstood to be a rite of passage by which a Jewish boy or girl becomes a Jewish adult, but in fact it is merely a celebration of the adulthood that came about automatically by virtue of age. The ceremony itself does not change the status of the celebrant nor does it imbue any additional rights or responsibilities beyond those that were automatically imbued on a boy's 13th (or girl's 12th) birthday.
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Before this age, all of the child's responsibility to follow Jewish law and tradition lay with the parents. After this age, the children are privileged to participate in all areas of Jewish community life and bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics.
The current way of celebrating one's becoming a Bar MitzvahWhen a Jewish boy becomes 13 years old did not exist in the time of the Bible, Mishnahentire body of Jewish religious law that was passed down and developed before 200 CE by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi or Talmud. This ceremonial observation developed in medieval times.
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The current practice is that on
a Shabbat shortly after his 13th birthday, a boy may recite the blessings for the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism reading, read from the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism (five books of Moses) and Haftara (Selections from the books of the Prophets), and give a d'var Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism - a discussion of that week's Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism portion. One may also lead part or all of the morning prayer services. Calling the boy to say the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism blessings is called an aliyah (Hebrew: עֲלִיָּה, from the verb alàh, עָלָה, meaning, "to rise, to ascend; to go up"). Precisely what the Bar MitzvahWhen a Jewish boy becomes 13 years old should lead during the service varies from one congregation to another, and is not fixed by Jewish law. The Sephardic Jews tend to bring the boy into adulthood a little later than Ashkenazi Jews, waiting until after their 14th birthday. Notwithstanding the celebrations, however, males become entirely culpable and responsible for following Jewish law at the age of 13.
Sometimes the celebration is during another service that includes reading from the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism, such as a Monday or Thursday morning service, a Shabbat afternoon service, or a morning service on Rosh Chodesh, the new moon. The service is often followed by a celebratory meal with family, friends, and members of the community. In the modern day, the celebration is sometimes delayed for reasons such as availability of a Shabbat during which no other celebration has been scheduled, or the desire to permit family to travel to the event. However, this does not delay the onset of rights and responsibilities of being a Jewish adult, which comes about strictly by virtue of age.
Many Jewish boys do not have a Bar MitzvahWhen a Jewish boy becomes 13 years old celebration, perhaps because the family is too poor or do not belong to a Synagogue or “shulJewish House of Worship” (a Jewish house of worship), or perhaps because they are hidden Jews in the Diaspora. In this case the 13th birthday can be considered the child's coming of age. Not having a Bar or Bat Mitzvah celebration does not make the child becoming an adult any less of a Jew. Although some people wish to be "Bar Mitzvahed" as an expression of their faith, this has no religious significance. Many Bar Mitzvahs are held at The Western Wall in The Old CityThe Holiest Center in the World of JerusalemThe capital of Israel, usually on Saturday or "Shabbat." The Wall is an IsraelNation of the Jewish People Travel prime pick.
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