Find solution
Doing a bat mitzvah project?

What is the difference between the jewish bat and bar mitzvah?

  • i know bat mitzvah is daughter of the commandments and bar mitzvah is sonof the commandments, and bat mitzvah is for a 12 year old girl, bar mitzvah is for a 13 year old boy. But what other differences are there? Preparation? Ceremony? Duties? Any other information.. Thank you very much:D

  • Answer:

    The Bar Mitzvah has been around for hundreds of years; it is the celebration of the 13 year old boy now being able to be an official part of the prayer services, etc. The boy studies how to correctly read the Torah portion of the week that he will turn 13, and then on the first Sabbath that he is 13, he (rather than the regular Torah-reader of the congregation) performs the reading of the Torah during the prayer services. It is customary for the family to host a "kiddush", or lunch, for family and/or the whole community after the prayer services are over. Nowadays people also tend to throw separate parties after Sabbath when music can be played, and people can drive to the event. Being that the Torah reading may only be legitimately done by men, girls never had this whole celebration when they turned bat mitzvah. The practice of having a bat mitzvah celebration only started in the last century, and even then it was just a glorified 12 year old birthday party. Nowadays a lot of people do throw very large and elegant parties for a girl's bat mitzvah, however. As Mark said, Reform decided that it was alright for girls perform the Torah reading at their bat mitzvahs, because they aren't as strict when it comes to the particulars of the laws, so in reform both bar and bat mitzvahs have actual ceremonies/services. But in mainstream Judaism though, only the bar mitzvah does. Just to clarify: Ever since the Jews got the Torah at Sinai, a girl turned bat mitzvah at 12 and a boy turned bar mitzvah at 13. This meant that they were now officially obligated in the commandments. Before a kid turns bar or bat mitzvah, they are technically not obligated to keep the commandments. Bar/bat mitzvah is the cut-off date. Once a girl turns 12 and a boy turns 13, they are just as obligated to keep the commandments as any other Jewish adult is. This has always been around in Judaism. What I've been addressing is the idea of a formal celebration, which even for bar mitzvahs, started a number of years later.

Rachel at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

At our (Reform) synagogue there are no other differences. In the Orthodox tradition, however, this is not so. In several streams of Orthodoxy or ultra-Orthodoxy, a bat mitzvah is still a non-event. In such circles, it may sometimes be commemorated with a modest (ritual) meal, or seudat mitzvah, the blessing of shehecheyanu, or the wearing of nicer clothes. Few rabbis in this stream of Orthodoxy would place value on a synagogue-based event, and some explicitly forbid it. I've put a link to a great article below.

Mark S, JPAA

The reality is that a Jew becomes obligated to perform Mitzvos when they become an adult (Torah definition, which is 12 and 13 as you noted). This happens automatically. In the old days (i.e. when Ashkenazi Jews mostly lived in Eastern Europe), a Bar Mitzvah was a simple affair, usually consisting of an Aliyah for the boy and shnapps and cake after davening. Nowadays, it is a big affair, sometimes even lavish.

BMCR

In a reform/conservative part of Judaism, there is no other differences but for an orthodox Jewish family, the girls do not read from the Torah, there only tradition is to have a celebration party while men would read from the Torah and pray in front of the congregation.

our battles

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.