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Definition: bar mitzvah from Philip's Encyclopedia

Jewish ceremony in which a young male is initiated into the religious community. At the ceremony, which traditionally takes place when he is aged 13 years and a day, he reads a portion of the Torah in a synagogue. The religious rite is followed by a social celebration. Some non-orthodox communities also celebrate a bas (or bat) mitzvah for girls.


bar mitzvah

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In Judaism, initiation of a boy, which takes place at the age of 13, into the adult Jewish community; less common is the bat mitzvah for girls, an identical ceremony conducted mainly in Reform and Liberal congregations. The child is called up to the bimah to read a passage from the Torah in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and is subsequently regarded as a full member of the congregation. Under Jewish law ,a young boy is responsible for his own actions from the age of 13, including responsibility to God for the fulfilment of the commandments. In Orthodox communities, a girl automatically becomes bat mitzvah on her 12th birthday. Celebrations of becoming bar or bat mitzvah have varied over time. It usually takes place at the Saturday morning Sabbath service. The young person will have had to learn to read ancient Hebrew fluently, and will have practised their reading for many months beforehand. There will be special readings of dedication and obligation by the young person, including a…
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Full text Article bar mitzvah

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In Judaism, initiation of a boy, which takes place at the age of 13, into the adult Jewish community; less common is the bat mitzvah for girls, an identical ceremony conducted mainly in Reform and Liberal congregations. The child is called up to the bimah to read a passage from the Torah in the…
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Full text Article Bar Mitzvah

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(bärmĭts'vӘ) [Aramaic,=son of the Commandment], Jewish ceremony in which the young male is initiated into the religious community, according to tradition at the age of 13 years and a day. The celebrant performs his first act as an adult, saying the blessing for the reading in the synagogue of part…
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Full text Article Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Background One of the purposes of Jewish education is learning to perform the mitzvot (commandments). This means following the commandments, duties, and obligations required by the Jewish tradition. Once a Jewish boy has reached the age of 13, he is considered to be an adult in the faith. This means…
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Full text Article Bar Mitzvah

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Jewish ritual celebrating a boy’s 13th birthday and his entry into the community of Judaism . It usually takes place during a Sabbath service, when the boy reads from the Torah and may give a discourse on the text. The service is often followed by a festive Kiddush and a family dinner on the…
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Full text Article What is a bar mitzvah? (Jan. 2020)

From The Conversation: An Independent Source of Analysis from Academic Researchers
It is a common scene on many a Saturday morning in cities and towns across the United States to see seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls, a few not Jewish at all, gather in synagogues and temples to watch a classmate’s bar mitzvah. This coming-of-age ritual marks a 13-year-old man’s assumption…
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Full text Article bar/bat mitzvah

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Judaism
Standing next to a rabbi, a boy reads the Torah...
At the age of 13 for boys and 12 or 13 for girls, Jewish children undergo a rite of passage and enter the Jewish community as formal adults who are then considered members of the covenant and bound by that covenant to observe halakhah , Jewish law. This rite of passage is known as a bar mitzvah (son…
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Full text Article BAR AND BAT MITZVAH

From Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions
A bar mitzvah taking place in a Sephardic...
The terms “bar mitzvah” and “bat mitzvah” derive from the Hebrew for “son and daughter of the commandment.” “Bar mitzvah” is found in the Talmud as a general reference to a male child reaching his religious majority on attaining puberty, which by custom, rather than by law, is recognized at age…
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Full text Article bar mitzvah

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
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Full text Article bar mitzvah

From The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
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Full text Article bar mitzvah rites

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
bar mitzvah rites
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