Torah Inspirations>Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah

What is a Bar Mitzvah?  What is a Bat Mitzvah?

The word “bar” is the Aramaic word for “son of”, and the word “bat” literally translates to being the "daughter of”. The word "Mitzvah" means "commandment" in both Hebrew and Aramaic.  Under Jewish Law, children are not obligated to observe the commandments.  As the child enters the Bar Mitzvah/ Bat Mitzvah stage in life they become fully responsible to observe the commandments of the Torah and have a right to lead services in the synagogue, to be counted in a minyan (the minimum number of people needed to perform certain parts of religious services) among other things.

Although we commonly refer to "having" a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah, the term actually refers to a status.  It would be better to say that one has “become” a Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah!  A Jewish boy automatically becomes Bar Mitzvah when he turns 13 years old, and a girl becomes Bat Mitzvah at the age of 12. (In general, girls tend to mature earlier).

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