what does bar mitzvah mean?

Question

its to do with my r.e homework

Answer 1

According to Jewish law, when Jewish children reach the age of maturity (12 years for girls, 13 years for boys) they become responsible for their actions. At this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew: בר מצוה, "one (m.) to whom the commandments apply"); a girl is said to become Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה, "one (f.) to whom the commandments apply").

There is ususally a big celebration too!!

Answer 2

What Does Bar Mitzvah Mean

Answer 3

"Bar Mitzvah" literally means "son of the commandment." "Bar" is "son" in Aramaic, which used to be the vernacular of the Jewish people. "Mitzvah" is "commandment" in both Hebrew and Aramaic.

A Jewish boy automatically becomes a bar mitzvah upon reaching the age of 13 years. No ceremony is needed to confer these rights and obligations. The popular bar mitzvah ceremony is not required, and does not fulfill any commandment.
The bar or bat mitzvah is a relatively modern innovation, not mentioned in the Talmud, and the elaborate ceremonies and receptions that are commonplace today were unheard of as recently as a century ago.

Answer 4

The term Bar Mitzvah (בר מצוis typically translated as "son of the commandment", and Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה) as "daughter of the commandment".

According to Jewish law, when Jewish children reach the age of maturity (12 years for girls, 13 years for boys) they become responsible for their actions. At this point a boy is said to become Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew: בר מצוה, "one (m.) to whom the commandments apply"); a girl is said to become Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה, "one (f.) to whom the commandments apply")

Answer 5

According to Jewish law, a boy is deemed a "bar mitzvah" when he turns 13 and achieves the status of adulthood. A Jewish girl becomes a "bat mitzvah" when she turns 12.

At this auspicious time they become full-fledged Jewish adults and are presented with both the opportunity to grow spiritually and the responsibility to become a better person.

Girls achieve the status of adulthood a year earlier than boys because girls typically mature physically and emotionally earlier than boys, ready to embrace the responsibility adulthood entails.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A BAR AND BAT MITZVAH
When boys and girls become bar and bat mitzvah, they reach a new stage of development in their lives and start thinking about the kind of people they want to be.

At puberty a person no longer lives in the fantasy world of childhood and can begin to make a realistic appraisal of their world. This is the time when their moral awareness and sensitivity fully develops, enabling them to take complete responsibility for their actions.

According to Jewish tradition, it is at this point that they are deemed ready to channel their inclination to do good and overcome their natural tendencies to put their own needs before those of others.


It is at this point that the boy and girl are deemed ready to channel their inclination to do good.

On a deeper level, just as their bodies are growing and changing in a new way, so too their souls are growing and changing.The Kabbalistic tradition tells us that a person's spiritual being has several levels of soul. A new level of soul called neshamah comes into awareness at bar or bat mitzvah time. This level is what gives a person the ability to make conscious, rational decisions.


WHY THE TERM BAR OR BAT MITZVAH?
The term bar mitzvah literally means "son of a commandment," and bat mitzvah means "daughter of a commandment." This alludes to two things:

A bar mitzvah boy or bat mitzvah girl strives to come closer to God -- like a son and daughter to his or her parent.

The chief way of doing so is by keeping the commandments or mitzvot that God gave in the Torah.Indeed, perhaps the most significant occurrence on this day is that the young person becomes fully responsible for keeping the commandments of the Torah as of that day.

THE CELEBRATION
Bar and bat mitzvahs are typically celebrated with a festive meal, with the family and friends of the bar mitzvah boy or bat mitzvah girl on hand to celebrate their entrance into adulthood.


Friends and relatives encourage the bar or bat mitzvah to strive to add spirituality to their lives.

The meal is often accompanied by speeches from friends and relatives who encourage the bar or bat mitzvah to undertake their new role as a full-fledged Jewish adult with joy, and to strive to add spirituality to their lives.

In addition, on the Shabbat following the bar mitzvah boy's thirteenth birthday, he is called to the Torah during morning services at the synagogue to recite the blessing on the Haftorah. Many boys also read the weekly Torah portion, having studied it in advance with a cantor or scholar experienced in reading the Torah.

Answer 6

http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm

good luck