It is common in Judaism that when children come of age, this form of maturity should be celebrated accordingly. Such a celebration is called a ”Bar Mitzvah” in the case of a boy and ”Bat Mitzvah” in the case of a girl – ”bar” has Aramaic roots and means ”boy”, while ”bat” means ”girl”. ”Mitzvah” can be translated as either ”law” or ”commandment”. While the original Aramaic formulation referred to either a boy or a girl, in rabbinical language the term ”bar” is used with the meaning of ”under the category of” or ”subject to”. Thus, in rabbinical language, ”bar mitzvah” means ”he/she who is subjected to the law”.

The celebration of the bar mitzvah as one knows it today is not to be found anywhere in the Torah or the Talmud. The term is mentioned for the first time in the Talmud with the meaning of ”he/she who is subject to the law”, but without any reference to the age when this should be celebrated (although the Talmud refers to the age of 20 when one would be conscripted into the army). The age of 13, which is the age when bar/ bat mitzvahs occur, was firstly mentioned in the Mishnah, as being the ideal age when one should begin studying the Torah and its commandments. The bar mitzvah ceremonial of the study of the commandments can be traced back to the Middle Ages when it was officially consecrated as a rite of passage.

Based on Jewish law, boys are considered accountable for their actions at the age of 13, while in the case of girls, the debate is stalling between the ages of 12 and 13 depending on the various existing Jewish branches (in the case of Orthodox and Conservative Jews, it is 12, while the Reform Jews prefer the age of 13). The significance of this celebration is that after reaching this age, boys and girls are responsible for their own approach on Jewish law and traditions and are able to take part in all sectors of Jewish life, including leading prayers or other religious services within the family or at the synagogue. Additionally, after the bar mitzvah one can take an active part in the Jewish society, such as possess property, be legally married based on Jewish law, testify as a witness in a Rabbi court, must follow the laws of the Torah and would have to keep the halakha, etc. The choice of the age is important, due to the fact that around that age both boys and girls reach puberty, a time of transformation for both their minds and bodies. To some extent, the embracing of the transformation from multiple points of view, including religious responsibilities, as well as the changes one’s body seems to be a good idea, since it helps one accumulate more at once.

It is also customary in the case of a bar mitzvah that the father thanks God for no longer carrying the responsibility of his child’s errors and sins.

However, the bar mitzvah ceremony is not as simple as it sounds. It is common in many congregations for children to undergo preparation before the bar mitzvah. This preparation consists of attending a minimum of Shabbat services, studying at Hebrew schools, engaging in charity work or community services, along with doing one’s best to maintain a good reputation within the respective community. Moreover, as the bar mitzvah brings along religious responsibilities, often families choose to hire tutors which would initiate the young into the significance of the Torah and its main texts, the study of Jewish concepts and even the study of Hebrew language.

The bar mitzvah ceremony takes place usually on the Shabbat following the birthday. It is on this very Shabbat service that the young boy would be asked to read from that week’s allotted portion of the Torah. It is common in Shabbat services for seven men to read from the Torah, so he can be one of these seven or the last of them – in this case he will be in charge with reading the closing verses as well as the Haftarah (which is a set of selections from the book of the Prophets). Should he be unable to read, he will be asked to recite a blessing before and after the reading. In some cases, he may be asked to give a d’var Torah, which is, in fact, a discussion on that week’s Torah part or a discussion on a wider topic related to the Torah. However, given the small age, this is not a common practice.

In more modern Jewish communities, the reading of the Torah was replaced with either a presentation of a research paper on Jewish history or traditions, or with an open speech on a topic relevant to Jewish identity. The latter is especially encouraged in Secular Jewish Sunday schools.

It is also common for some families to choose to book the bar mitzvah for a Shabbat when no other special services are scheduled, so that the young boy becoming an adult will be able to enjoy the celebration to the full. Despite the delay in the official celebration, the responsibilities a bar mitzvah brings along become effective upon the day when the boy turns 13.

But traditions differ from one Jewish branch to another. In the case of Orthodox Jews, they celebrate bar mitzvah during weekday services, such as the Monday or Thursday morning services. In such circumstances, this is the moment when the Tefillin is laid for the first time.

The garment known as Tefillin begins to be used for prayer starting with the age of 13, after the bar mitzvah. The Tefillin is associated with prayer and it is important for the boy to be aware of its significance. In some cases, especially in Orthodox Jewish communities, boys become accustomed to the practice of wearing the Tefillin by putting it on for one to three months before the actual bar mitzvah, so that upon the respective moment, the practice seems a natural one.

Apart from the traditional bar mitzvah, some interesting facts have appeared in the recent years, as bar mitzvahs began being celebrated even within the kibbutz. In this case, all those who would turn 13 during the respective year would have to take on a research topic related to Jewish history and develop on it for the coming celebration.

In particular cases, a second bar mitzvah would be celebrated at the age of 83. According to the Torah, the common life span of an individual is of approximately 70 years. The number 83 consisting of 70 plus 13 more could be interpreted as a second life. The practice is not well-known.

To end on a funnier note this presentation of the bar mitzvah and its symbolism, one needs to know that since 1997, Bark Mitzvahs are also celebrated for the dogs’ coming of age. Such events have become very common in Jewish communities and are often celebrated in the context of the Purim festival.