Shalom,
“After three
days they found Him [Yeshua] in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions.”
(Luke 2:46)
The Bar/Bat
Mitzvah is a milestone in Jewish life.
It not only tells the world that the child has reached adulthood and is
taking greater responsibility for his or her actions, it strengthens his or her
identity as a Jew.
In Jewish
law, Jewish girls (at age 12) and boys (at age 13) become responsible for
observing Jewish ritual law, traditions, and ethics. The rite of passage associated with this
observance is the Bar Mitzvah for boys and Bat Mitzvah for girls.
Bar Mitzvah,
literally means son of commandment and Bat Mitzvah means daughter of
commandment. However, the term in
rabbinical usage has come to mean one who is subject to the law.
Once they
are subject to the law, boys and girls are free to participate in all areas of
Jewish community life, as we'll read about further on in this feature article.
Although the
ceremony today differs from its ancient past and only became a unanimously
accepted Jewish custom some 400 years, in the Gospels we read that Yeshua
(Jesus) was examined by the Temple priests and teachers at the age of 12. (Luke 2:41–52)
The Brit
Chadashah (New Testament) tells us that His knowledge was extraordinary and
that “all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” (Luke 2:47)
This may
indicate that even the Messiah was Bar Mitzvahed, passing through the rites of
His day. As one of few events recorded
about His early life, Scripture certainly highlights this event as important.
It is,
perhaps, the oldest record of a Bar Mitzvah.
Today, the
Bar and Bat Mitzvah is a central rite of passage for all Jewish people,
including Jewish Believers in Messiah.
Marty Goetz:
A Jew Born Anew
Well I had a
Bar Mitzvah when I was thirteen,
the greatest
Bar Mitzvah that you’ve ever seen.
The temple
on the corner of Mayfield and Lee
was filled
with my friends and my family,
all of them
proud as proud could be,
with
catering far as the eye could see—
complete
with a chopped liver statue of me!
(Lyrics
excerpted from the song, "A Jew Born Anew”
© 2011 Marty
Goetz Ministries)
Marty Goetz
is a good Jewish boy who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio in a relatively observant
Jewish family.
He is also a
well-known Messianic performer of psalms and praise music. In the above lyrics, he sings about his
introduction into the status of manhood in his local synagogue. The song suggests he had a rather positive
experience.
But after
describing his wonderful Bar Mitzvah, he suddenly laments,“And they won’t let
me get Bar Mitzvahed again.”
This is a
common experience for young Jewish men who find themselves the center of
attention of their Jewish congregation for one brief day, complete with a
showering of gifts and praises, only to have to go through life afterword just
like everyone else, usually never again enjoying such attention and praise.
Aware that
something was missing in his life, Marty found wholeness when he invited the
greatest Jew who ever lived (and still lives) into his life, which prompted
writing this song.
The
Development of a Tradition
There is
really no clear basis for the tradition of a Bar Mitzvah, nor is there a
command in the Torah (Five Books of Moses) to observe one.
One opinion
in the Midrash (compilation of Rabbinic teachings), however, traces the source
of the tradition to Genesis 21:8: “And
the child [Isaac] grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the
day that Isaac was weaned.”
The Midrash
states that this weaning brought Isaac into manhood at the age of 13. This opinion has since found its way into
much Jewish literature. (Chabad)
As it is
practiced today, at the age of 13, a boy is considered to be a man and is now
responsible to keep all of the commandments.
Bar Mitzvah
in a Synagogue, by Oscar Rex
Thirteen is
also the age at which his vow is now valid.
The Talmud
(Niddah 5:6) rules that from the age of 12, the vow of a girl is valid which is
why girls are Bat Mitzvahed at age 12.
This is also
the age at which they become accountable for their own actions.
It is only
in mid-20th century America, however, that the Bat Mitzvah ceremony has become
identical to the Bar Mitzvah celebration.
Beginning in
the 19th century in regions such as Eastern and Western Europe, Egypt, and
Baghdad, recognition of the girl’s coming of age was celebrated with a private
blessing, a father’s aliyah to the Torah (going up to the bimah to read the
Torah), the sermon given by the rabbi, and the girl’s public examination on
Judaic subjects. (Jewish Virtual
Library)
Marriage and
Other Privileges
By rabbinic
tradition, a Bat Mitzvahed girl is minimally qualified to marry, although 18 is
considered the proper age for marriage and 20 in the age for venturing out to
earn a livelihood.
Also at this
age, boys may now serve as the cantor or chazzan in the synagogue and be called
to read the Haftarah (Prophetic Reading) from the book of prophets.
And among
observant Jews, a young Bar Mitzvahed man begins to wear the tefillin
(phylacteries) during morning prayers.
He can now read from the Torah in the synagogue and be granted an
aliyah.
He can also
lead grace after meals and be counted as a part of a minyan (the required
quorum of 10 for corporate prayer). If
the boy is a kohen (descendant of Aaron), he can pronounce the priestly
blessing.
He must also
now participate in fasting on fast days, such as Yom Kippur and the Fast of
Esther the day before Purim.
“The thrill
of attention received on my Bar Mitzvah was extended when the rabbi trained me
to lead the Friday night services as the chazzan and to chant the Haftarah on
Shabbat mornings. Of course these are
activities that any male may perform after having been Bar Mitzvahed as long as
he is able,” said Barry, a member of the Bibles For Israel team.
“I was also
able to use the Jewish literacy skills that I attained through learning my Bar
Mitzvah Haftarah reading to train others, some of whom are Messianic Jews
including my own son.”
Messianic
Believers most often find that synagogues are unwilling to Bar Mitzvah their
children. Moreover, becoming a Jewish
Believer can result in Bar Mitzvah rights and privileges being stripped in the
local synagogue.
“I
apparently lost my Bar Mitzvah rights, however, when I revealed my belief in
Yeshua to the rabbi in Cincinnati where I lived. As far as he was concerned, I was no longer a
Jew and I was excluded from being counted as part of the quorum of 10,” Barry
said.
Bar Mitzvah
Preparations
A Bar
Mitzvah doesn't just happen; the boy to be Bar Mitzvahed often prepares for
several years.
Barry
started to prepare when he was nine.
“At the age
of nine, I followed a full day of public school by taking the bus to the Hebrew
Institute which was where the Jewish community’s Hebrew afterschool classes
were taught for young Jewish boys and the occasional girl,” Barry said.
“It was
there that I began to learn in detail what it means to be a Jew, to start
wearing the undergarment called the tzitzit and to learn to read Hebrew so that
I could participate in the daily rituals, starting the morning with the prayer
upon rising: “Modah ani lifanecha...”
(“Thank you Lord for mercifully returning to me my soul”), as well as
the various prayers before eating or drinking, the prayer after meals, and the
prayer before going to sleep at night.”
Barry was
told that since it was necessary to pray throughout the day, he would need to
keep his head covered with a kippah (yarmulka or skull cap).
“In later
years, I exchanged taking the bus for peddling my English Racer bike up steep
hills in all kinds of weather to get to Hebrew School. It made for long days and cold nights, but it
also made me a Jew,” Barry said of his commitment to learning. “Even so, when I got to Israel I found my
Hebrew skills almost nonexistent when trying to actually communicate in the
language.”
Barry’s
learning involved more than Hebrew language skills.
He also
learned a little about Jewish life in WWII when his schoolteacher shared with
him how he escaped the Warsaw Ghetto by distracting the guards into thinking
that someone was trying to scale the wall that surrounded the Ghetto, and then
he did so himself.
This same
teacher survived the war working in a hospital.
During a
bombing raid, he was praying the morning prayers wearing his tefillin and
refused to go to the bomb shelter during the raid.
At the same
time, a bomb fell through the roof of the hospital, traversing all of the
floors but did not explode. After that,
everyone thought he was a saint and responsible for the miracle that saved
their lives, Barry said.
Bar Mitzvahs
for Adults
A good many
Jewish adults who missed their Bar/Bat Mitzvah feel that they have also missed
an essential piece of their God-given heritage, so they decide to celebrate it
as an adult.
A popular
spot for parents and adults to celebrate this occasion is at the Western Wall
that once lined the Temple Mount platform in Jerusalem.
Some say
that as early as Second Temple days, the Bar Mitzvah boy would be brought to
the Temple courtyard to have their knowledge "tested" by the priests
and elders.
In 2012,
actor David Arquette, whose mother is Jewish, was Bar Mitzvahed at the Wall at
the age of 40.
"He was
very emotional, saying he was happy to be part of the chain of the Jewish
People," said Western Wall rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, who presided over the
ceremony. "I'm very pleased to see
a man who is returning to his roots."
(Arutz Sheva)
“I had my
Bar Mitzvah today at the Wall. Finally,
I’m a man,” Arquette posted on Twitter.
Messianic
Bar and Bat Mitzvahs
Although
Jewish Believers are saved by faith in the saving grace of Yeshua HaMashiach
and not by acts, this faith does not nullify their Jewish identity.
A great many
Jewish Believers train their children in Jewish prayer and practices such as
the Jewish Sabbath and Jewish holidays, as well as celebrate their Bar/Bat
Mitzvah, a day on which they publicly embrace God's Word, giving their
commentary on the portion and their personal testimony of faith in Yeshua
HaMashiach.
Of course,
this celebration is also a positive sign to nonbelieving family members that
Jewish Believers have not abandoned their Judaism for “another religion.”
“My son’s
Bar Mitzvah brought my aunts from Chicago to Cincinnati (a drive of several
hours) along with my mother from Florida.
Although my mother had come to accept our beliefs and had prayed to
accept the Messiah, her sisters were very much against our believing in Yeshua. Experiencing our son’s Bar Mitzvah and its
Jewishness reassured them that we had not given up our identity as Jews,” Barry
reminisced.
Today, many
children have parents of varying backgrounds and religions. And within Judaism, there is a wide variety
of ways to celebrate the occasion.
One of
Barry’s sons, for instance, was Bar Mitzvahed with his class at Kibbutz Beit
HaShita, a Labor Zionist kibbutz that does not follow religious practices. The entire class was Bar Mitzvahed in a group
ceremony that did not involve synagogue worship or the traditional reading of
the Torah; nevertheless, as far as the kibbutz was concerned, their sons were
now Bar Mitzvahed.
When the
family has chosen to identify as Jewish Believers in the Lord, it is important
that they allow their children to pass through the stages of growth and
identity that are common to all Jewish children in some formal, public
celebration.
This
ceremony emphasizes a child's Jewish identity and helps to sustain a strong
connection to his or her Jewish heritage.
It can only strengthen a child's desire to learn more about being Jewish
and create a firmer attachment to their people, warding off a sense of
alienation.
This can
also foster a connection to God that will encourage a more profound
relationship with their Maker as they progress into adulthood.
Being fully
grounded in Judaism equips Jewish Believers to take their rightful place as
part of the Jewish community, while daily developing a deeper understanding of
the Jewish roots of the Good News of Yeshua our Messiah.
“For I am
not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation
to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)
After
searching intently for 12-year-old Yeshua, His distressed parents found Him in
the Temple. He told them, "Didn't
you know I had to be in My Father's house?" (Luke 2:49)
Of course,
the heart's cry of every Believing parent is that their children would follow
in Yeshua's footstep to become faithful sons and daughters of the Living God.
"Your
children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace." (Isaiah 54:13)
"I am
bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away; and My salvation will not
be delayed. I will grant salvation to
Zion, My splendor to Israel."
(Isaiah 46:13)
-Messianic
Prophecy Bible
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