lesson 5: initiation into judeasim

Question 1

big para

Answer 1

• Mitzvah’ means commandment and ‘Bar’ means son.
• Together, Bar Mitzvah means Son of the Commandment.
• It is a ceremony that welcomes a Jewish boy into adulthood. This happens at about 13 years of age.
• At this point, the Jewish man must now abide by the 613 commandments in the Torah.
• Traditionally, the boy is called up to read from the Torah in the synagogue. He must speak in Hebrew.
• This is followed by a festive kiddush – a prayer recited over a cup of wine
• This is a ritual to welcome Jewish boys into adulthood
• One this ritual is complete; they must abide by the 613 mitzvot
• After this ceremony, there is a big festival to celebrate the boy reaching adulthood
• The boys are called up to read from the Torah, and while they read the prayers in the Torah, they will wear a tefillin that is wrapped around their arms (seven times) and their head. The box on the top of their head is said to have dirt that has come from Jerusalem.
• An increasingly popular way to strengthen their religion is to ‘twin’ their Bar Mitzvah for a child who was a victim of the Holocaust. Then, that child will never be forgotten as they will live on through their person who twinned their Bar Mitzvah
• There are two different types of Jews; orthodox and reform. They are two different branches of Judaism, much like Anglican, Mormon, Lutheran, and Catholics for Christianity
• Orthodox Jews live by the rules very strictly and are much more traditional. This would mean that the women would be much less involved in life at the synagogue.
• The tallit is a shall or cloak that someone could wear while praying. The rabbi or child whose bar mitzvah It would wear this.
• There are 12 stipes, and 12 tassels to represent the 12 tribes of the jews

Question 2

orthodox

Answer 2

• The rabbi would stand on the podium and speak about the Torah
• Women would sit on the left of the synagogue, and the men sit on the right
• Women would also have the sit on the very top of the synagogue, away from the men, if the congregation was full
• There are only male rabbis, and only boys could have bar mitzvahs

Question 3

torah

Answer 3

• The torah is made out of leather deer hide
• It is a parchment
• The torah is a scroll, and there are five of them in a synagogue for the five books of the torah
• A special rabbi would transcribe from one torah to a new parchment. If they make a mistake, the entire thing has to be burned
• If the torah gets a little tear, it has to be burned
• If the torah is damaged, it could be considered blasphemous as it is representing God
• The torah costs around 20,000 each. But they can be as much as 200,000
• The torah is kept in the reverse, and the scrolls are covered in very expensive material in order to keep them very safe.
• The torah is considered to sacred that people cannot touch it
• They touch the torah with a yad
• They do not want hands to touch the incredibly sacred scroll, so they use the yad in order to follow what is being said

Question 4

reform

Answer 4

• Has the bar mitzvah and the bat mitzvah
• They are much more relaxed towards traditions
• There can be both male and female rabbis in reform
• The rabbi would stand on the podium and speak about the Torah
• They are adapting with the ever changing world, and are allows for women to be much more included into their tradition

Question 5

bat mitzvah

Answer 5

• ‘Bat’ means daughter. Together, Bat Mitzvah means Daughter of the Commandment.
• Bat Mitzvahs have only occurred since the mid -nineteenth century, though it wasn’t part of the synagogue service.
• It is for girls from around 12 years of age.
• Since 1975 it has been incorporated into a synagogue service in Reform synagogues.
• Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are very central to Jewish culture, and they often become big celebrations.
• They read from the torah and wear the Tallit just like the boys
• And after the ceremony, there is a huge celebration
  The celebration is celebrating that you are now an adult in the eyes of the religion, and it is a great opportunity to get together with - all of your family and friends

Question 6

brit milah

Answer 6

• Eight days after their birth, Jewish boys are circumcised by an officiating celebrant called a mohel.
• It is a visible sign of the covenant between God and the Jewish people.
• ‘Brit Milah’ means ‘Covenant of the Circumcision’.
• A special rabbi called a Mohel and circumcise the young boy as a sign of a covenant in the family home

Question 7

writing activity

Answer 7

There are many ways in which Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs are different. An obvious difference between them is that Bar Mitzvahs are for boys, and Bat Mitzvas are for girls. Adding on to this, Bat Mitzvahs are only in the reform branch of the Jewish faith as the reform church is much more inclusive towards girls. Another difference is that Bat Mitzvahs are for girls who are aged 12, whereas the Bar Mitzvahs are for boys aged 13. This is because girls are more mature than boys and therefore are able to be welcomed into adulthood first. However, there are some similarities including the fact that are the ceremony, the new-adult is thrown a huge party with all of their family and friends. This can include; live music, DJ’s, lights, cameras, and lots of food. Another similarity is during the ceremony, both males and females must wear the tallit while reciting the torah in Hebrew.