In recognition of the earlier age of physical, emotional and social maturity arrived at by women as compared to men, the age of bat mitzva as established by Jewish tradition is twelve, instead of the thirteen years for the bar mitzva of young men. As the name bat mitzvah implies - a daughter of obligations and responsibilities - girls at age twelve become obligated and responsible as to the ritual requirements of Jewish life. Naturally, it is presupposed that the young woman has previously achieved knowledge and training in these ritual requirements during her childhood so that the transition to becoming a bat mitzvah is usually smooth and seamless. As in the case of bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah celebrations and commemorations have undergone many societal changes throughout Jewish history. Only the fact of bat mitzvah itself and its marking of the coming of age and responsibility of Jewish women has remained constant throughout time.
For many centuries of Jewish life, both in the Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities, in fact until our time, the bat mitzvah commemoration for a Jewish girl remained a private, family-oriented, self-limiting event. Perhaps, there was a dinner held at home, the girl received the blessings of her family and that was pretty much it. The same thing in the main was true of her brother at his bar mitzva, for in most times in Jewish life, no special commemoration ensued at the age of thirteen except for the fact that the young man was called to receive an honor at the Torah reading of the week. Over the past century, the bar mitzva commemmoration has become much more public, elaborate and expensive. Over the past decades, this has become true for bat mitzvah celebrations as well.
The expansion of the bat mitzvah ceremony parallels the changing role and newly intensive forms of Jewish education for women. It is quite common today for the young woman to deliver a scholarly talk about a Torah subject at her bat mitzvah ceremony. Whether this talk is given in the synagogue at the completion of the Sabbath services, at the party celebration or in her home at the family dinner is a societal matter of differing custom within various Jewish communities. Many times, the talk is devoted to the lessons of life derived from the great Jewish heroines and personalities of the Bible and Talmud. Miriam, Esther, Ruth and Bruriah (the scholarly wife of Rabbi Meir of Talmudic fame) are often chosen as the centerpieces of bat mitzvah discourses. However, as more women now study Mishna and Talmud as well as Bible, the bat mitzva's presentation may more closely resemble that of her brother at his bar mitzvah, in content, style and scholarship.
Many Jewish societies have the custom of introducing a woman to the commandment of lighting Sabbath candles when she attains the age of bat mitzva. In other communities, the obligation of performing this holy act of sanctification, which brings the blessings of the Sabbath into the Jewish home, is postponed until the time when a woman marries. Many young girls at their bat mitzvah also start to take instruction in baking challah, the special bread of Sabbath, which is associated with the commandment of removing a tithe of dough - "challah" - from the batter before baking. It is interesting to note that the name of the bread is taken from the commandment involved in its preparation and baking, namely challah. Though Jewish women in our world are no longer restricted to the kitchen as their only endeavor in life, the baking of challah remains a cherished task for many and is eagerly pursued by thousands of young women reaching the age of bat mitzvah. Oftentimes, as with bar mitzvah, it is the private ritual performed with enthusiasm and joy in one's home that marks the true spirit of becoming bat mitzva more than the public scholarly performance and party that is for many today part of the ceremony marking the young woman's bat mitzva.
Shabat Shalom.
Berel Wein
For many centuries of Jewish life, both in the Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities, in fact until our time, the bat mitzvah commemoration for a Jewish girl remained a private, family-oriented, self-limiting event. Perhaps, there was a dinner held at home, the girl received the blessings of her family and that was pretty much it. The same thing in the main was true of her brother at his bar mitzva, for in most times in Jewish life, no special commemoration ensued at the age of thirteen except for the fact that the young man was called to receive an honor at the Torah reading of the week. Over the past century, the bar mitzva commemmoration has become much more public, elaborate and expensive. Over the past decades, this has become true for bat mitzvah celebrations as well.
The expansion of the bat mitzvah ceremony parallels the changing role and newly intensive forms of Jewish education for women. It is quite common today for the young woman to deliver a scholarly talk about a Torah subject at her bat mitzvah ceremony. Whether this talk is given in the synagogue at the completion of the Sabbath services, at the party celebration or in her home at the family dinner is a societal matter of differing custom within various Jewish communities. Many times, the talk is devoted to the lessons of life derived from the great Jewish heroines and personalities of the Bible and Talmud. Miriam, Esther, Ruth and Bruriah (the scholarly wife of Rabbi Meir of Talmudic fame) are often chosen as the centerpieces of bat mitzvah discourses. However, as more women now study Mishna and Talmud as well as Bible, the bat mitzva's presentation may more closely resemble that of her brother at his bar mitzvah, in content, style and scholarship.
Many Jewish societies have the custom of introducing a woman to the commandment of lighting Sabbath candles when she attains the age of bat mitzva. In other communities, the obligation of performing this holy act of sanctification, which brings the blessings of the Sabbath into the Jewish home, is postponed until the time when a woman marries. Many young girls at their bat mitzvah also start to take instruction in baking challah, the special bread of Sabbath, which is associated with the commandment of removing a tithe of dough - "challah" - from the batter before baking. It is interesting to note that the name of the bread is taken from the commandment involved in its preparation and baking, namely challah. Though Jewish women in our world are no longer restricted to the kitchen as their only endeavor in life, the baking of challah remains a cherished task for many and is eagerly pursued by thousands of young women reaching the age of bat mitzvah. Oftentimes, as with bar mitzvah, it is the private ritual performed with enthusiasm and joy in one's home that marks the true spirit of becoming bat mitzva more than the public scholarly performance and party that is for many today part of the ceremony marking the young woman's bat mitzva.
Shabat Shalom.
Berel Wein