BAR & BAT MITZVAH SYMBOLS

BAR & BAT MITZVAH SYMBOLS

Symbolic items are found all throughout the Bar/Bat Mitzvah service. These symbols include the Kippah, Tefillin, Tallit, Kiddush Cup, Shabbat Candles, and Torah. All of these have extreme symbolic value during a Bar/ Bat Mitzvah Service.

The Kippah

Kippa- The literal definition from Hebrew is "dome", but we refer to it mostly as a head cover worn by the Jewish people in order to fill our covenant.

Symbolism from the Bar/Bat Mitzvah

The Kippah is a small head covering that Jewish men wear after their Bar Mitzvah. it signifies that they are keeping their covenant with G-d. A new Kippah is given to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah to commemorate their change into becoming a man. According to the Talmud, a Kippah reminds a man about G-d's presence above him. In a Talmudic Story (Shabbat 156b), a woman was warned that her son would be a thief, so she made him wear a head covering at all times. When the head covering came fell off, he had the urge to steal and eat fruit from a tree that was not his. This is when the son realized that the Kippah kept the evil out of his life.

Tefillin

Tefillin- (lit. meaning: to guard, protect) a set of small black boxes with scrolls of parchment inside

Tefillin are worn around the arm and the head. The main components are the scrolls, the boxes, and the strap. Once you reach the age of 13 and have become a Bar Mitzvah, you can now perform all the Mitzvot associated with putting on Tefillin. Tefillin create a connection between G-d and the adult Jewish male. In the Torah (Deuteronomy 11:18) it states, "You shall put these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall tie them for a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as totafot between your eyes." Once you become a Bar Mitzvah, you can now physically have a connection with G-d.

Tallit - (lit. meaning: prayer shawl) A wool garment worn around a Jewish male during prayer service.

A Tallit is worn during a Jewish prayer service usually over the shoulder. You must say a prayer before putting it on, and the prayer is placed around the neck of the Tallit. In most customs, a Tallit is only worn by a Jewish man and a Tallit is given to a new Bar Mitzvah. In the Talmud, it explains a quote said by Abraham. Abraham received a reward for saying, 'Not a Thread nor a shoe-strap.' The reward was that his children merited two mitzvot: The thread of Blue (Tzitzit) and the strap of the Tefillin. (Sotah 17a.) The reason that men are expected to wear tallits and women are not is because it is a time bound mitzvah, and women are exempt from all time boud mitzvot. Additionally, the tallit has 11 different names. The tallit has 613 knots to remind you of the 613 mitzvot you must fulfill now that you are a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.

The Torah

The literal definition from Hebrew is doctrine or guidance.

The Torah is the most sacred, important piece to the religion of Judaism. It includes the creation of the world and the exodus from Egypt. During a Bar Mitzvah ceremony, the soon-to-be adult reads from the Torah aloud. It is read for guidance for the adult Jewish male or female. In the Talmud, it explains that, "A Heathen who studies the Torah deserves Death" (Tractate Mechilla/Me'ilah). By this quotation, you can see that the Torah is only supposed to be read and studied by certain people. By 13, you have to read a Torah and be able to comprehend it.

Candles used for Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.

Anna: For my Bat Mitzvah, I was presented with a tallit, even though women do not wear tallits as often as men do. My tallit was special, because rather than looking like a typical tallit, it had roses on it, since my middle name is Rose. I learned all about the corners of the tallit and the strings. I loved wearing my tallit because it made me feel even more connected to Judaism. This past weekend, I could not find my Tallit and I really wanted to wear it to my sister's Bat Mitzvah. Sadly, I could not find it, and the prayer service was not as meaningful as it would have been if I had my tallit.

Works Cited

Davidson, Rabbi Baruch S. "Why Do We Wear the Tallit Only for the Morning Prayers?" - Mitzvahs & Traditions. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Sept. 2015.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/545012/jewish/Why-do-we-wear-the-Tallit-only-for-the-morning-prayers.htm

"Jewish Talmudic Quotes - Facts Are Facts." Jewish Talmudic Quotes - Facts Are Facts. Rense, n.d. Web. 07 Sept. 2015.

http://rense.com/general86/talmd.htm

Kiddush Cup. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiddush>.

Kippah on the head of a Jewish Male. Digital image. Wordpress. Ivarfjeld, Sept. 2012. Web. 7 Sept. 2015.

https://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/kippah.jpg

Knit Kippah. Digital image. Skull Cap. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2015.

http://www.skullcap.com/Images/knit/knit008newl.jpg

Matzo, Breaking. Hebrew Scroll Torah. Digital image. Breaking Gmatzo. WP Content, 10 Mar. 2015. Web. 7 Sept. 2015.

http://breakingmatzo.com/wp-content/uploads/hebrew-scroll-torah.jpg

Shabbat Candles. Digital image. Shabbat Candles. Chabad, n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/610363/jewish/Shabbat-Candles.htm>.

Silver Jerusalem Kiddush Cup. Digital image. World of Judaica. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www.worldofjudaica.com/judaica/kiddush-cups>.

Simmons, Rabbi Shraga. "Kippah: A Blessing On Your Head." Aishcom. N.p., 31 Aug. 2002. Web. 07 Sept. 2015.

http://www.aish.com/jl/m/pb/48949686.html

Sterling Silver Kiddush Cup. Digital image. World of Judaica. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www.worldofjudaica.com/judaica/kiddush-cups>.

Tallit. Digital image. The Shofar Man. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2015.

http://www.theshofarman.com/images/Talis_TAC_Blue_Silver-4.jpg

Tefillin. Digital image. JTA. Shutterstock, Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Sept. 2015.

http://www.jta.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/shutterstock_57542077-1024x768.jpg

"When? - The Proper Time for Lighting." Chabad. Chabad, n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2015. <http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/110393/jewish/When.htm>.

"Where Does the Torah Say to Light Shabbat Candles?" Shabbat. Chabad, n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2015. <http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/767153/jewish/Where-Does-the-Torah-Say-to-Light-Shabbat-Candles.htm>.

2015

Anna Epstein and Ian Arzt

Jewish Living

Tallit

Shabbat Candles

Kiddush Cup

(lit.) definition: Sanctification. Kiddush- the prayer said that blesses the wine on Shabbat.

Another item gifted to those celebrating their Bar or Bat Mitzvah is candles for Shabbat. This is because now that they are a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, they are expected to do shabbat and prayers by themselves. Every Shabbat, we light candles. It is done to welcome Shabbat into our homes and to ensure that light and harmony exist in our home. In Isiah (chapter 58), we read, "If you restrain your foot because of the Sabbath, from performing your affairs on My holy day, and you will call the Sabbath ‘a delight’ and G-d’s holy day ‘honored’ . . .” (Isaiah 58:13) Lighting the shabbat candles is an important Shabbat mitzvah which welcomes in the Sabbath and makes it the holy day. A fun fact about Shabbos candles is that they are to be lit 18 minutes before the sunset. It used to be that men were gifted with the Kiddush cup becuase men were responsible for kiddush, and women did candles.

The Kiddush Cup is a cup used to hold wine or grape juice when the blessing over wine is said. Typically, Bar and Bat mitzvahs will receive a Kiddush Cup from their congregation for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. They receive a kiddush cup because now that they are a Bar or Bar Mitzvah, they can do the shabbat prayees and lead prayers by themself. One of the ten commandments in the Torah is the obligation to recite kiddush at the beginning of Shabbat.The law derives this requirement from the pasuk: "זכור את יום השבת לקדשו" - "Remember the Shabbat to sanctify it.", and one of the ways we do this is by following the guidelines for Kiddush, using the correct cup, and saying the blessings before we drink wine. A fun fact about the kiddush cup is that it must be able to hold 4 and a half ounces of wine, so that it is all the way full and brims with wine.

Us at our Bar and Bat Mitzvahs!

Personal Anecdote