Ways of Jewish living - EdexcelRituals – birth and coming of age

Jewish rituals mark important stages of life. They often mark a transition from one phase of life to another.

Birth rituals

After the birth of a child, the mother must undertake a ritual cleaning and attend the mikveh. A scripture from the book of Leviticus requires the mother to be “purified”.

Rituals begin for Jews from birth, with Brit Milah for boys and Simchat Bat for girls.

Brit Milah

Brit Milah is the ritual of circumcision and dates back to the covenant made between God and Abraham. The Torah reminds Jews of this important sign of the covenant:

Circumcision is a sign that the baby belongs to the Jewish faith. It usually takes place at home, seven days after the baby is born. The circumcision is performed by a trained professional called a mohel.

Simchat Bat

Simchat Bat is a ceremony that celebrates the birth of a baby girl. As it only began to be used in the 20th century, it is more likely to be performed among Reform Jews than among Orthodox Jews. The ceremony focuses on blessing the baby and explaining the choice of name made by the parents. It may take place in a synagogue or sometimes a meeting hall.

Bar and Bat Mitzvah

Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies mark the transition into adulthood for young Jews. At age 13 a boy becomes Bar Mitzvah and at age 13 a girl becomes a Bat Mitzvah. This means that they become responsible for following the mitzvot themselves rather than their parents having this responsibility.

During his Bar Mitzvah, a boy reads from the Torah. During her Bat Mitzvah, a girl may read a prayer from the Siddur. Within Judaism, girls and boys are not thought to hold the same responsibilities. As a result, some rules (such as the requirement to read from the Torah) are less strict for girls than they are for boys.

Orthodox Jews tend not to celebrate Bat Mitzvahs as girls do not have the same responsibilities as boys in the Orthodox Jewish faith. Most Reform Jewish girls have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony.