Practices in JudaismRituals - childhood

There are many different Jewish rituals for the different stages of life. For children there are three key rituals. These are Brit Milah, Simchat Bat, and Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah.

Brit Milah

The Brit Milah is part of the covenant between Abraham and God:

This is usually done at home seven or eight days after a boy’s birth. It is carried out by a mohel, a person specifically trained to carry out circumcision.

A blessing is said before the circumcision is carried out. The boy is given his Hebrew name and the kiddush is said. There is then a celebratory meal.

Simchat Bat

Simchat Bat was developed recently as a naming ceremony for girls, complete with blessings and prayers. Usually it happens on the first Shabbat after the girl’s birth.

Boys can also have a separate naming ceremony.

Bar and Bat Mitvah

These ceremonies are significant because they are seen as the time of coming of age, when a child becomes an adult.

A Bar Mitzvah happens around a boy’s 13th birthday and is part of a service in the synagogue. Often the boy will read from the Torah and will have spent time studying its text beforehand.

The boy’s father thanks God for bringing his son to maturity, the boy receives gifts and there is a celebratory meal.

After the ceremony, a Jewish boy will be counted as part of the minyan.

The Bat Mitzvah tends to be a Reform Jewish ceremony and is not normally carried out by Orthodox Jews. It follows a similar pattern to the Bar Mitzvah and happens around a girl’s 12th birthday.

After a Bar or Bat Mitzvah boys and girls will start to follow Jewish laws strictly.