Judaism

Jeffrey Brodd

California State University, Sacramento

Layne Little

University of California, Davis

Bradley Nystrom

California State University, Sacramento

Robert Platzner

California State University, Sacramento

Richard Shek

California State University, Sacramento

Erin Stiles

University of Nevada, Reno

The Bar Mitzvah stands behind a lectern, facing an open Torah scroll, preparing to read his scriptural passage in Hebrew.

IT IS A SATURDAY morning, and Seth is waiting to read from the Torah—the most ancient of Jewish Scriptures. Seth has spent the past ten months preparing for this moment, and he is about to become a Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew, “son of the commandment”). In late antiquity, a young Jewish male became a Bar Mitzvah simply by turning thirteen years old, but by the later Middle Ages a formal rite of passage had developed that signaled a young man’s entry into religious manhood. By demonstrating that he can read directly from and comment on the Torah, Seth is proclaiming, before an entire congregation of worshipers, his intention to enter the Jewish community as a literate adult.

Moving a silver pointer shaped like an outstretched hand across the Torah scroll, Seth reads the passage assigned for that particular Sabbath morning. The sacred text before him is especially difficult to decipher because, as in ancient times, it is written in the ancient Hebrew language; however, Seth has reviewed this passage many times and has practically memorized it. After the service, Seth will be joined by friends and family who will celebrate his accomplishments with a party, gifts, and praise. This coming-of-age ritual has been enacted countless times over the centuries in Jewish communities throughout the world, but it is only since the 1920s that the privilege of participating in this ritual has been extended to young

women (a Bat Mitzvah—a “daughter of the commandment”).

Total number of Jews presently living in the world.

Of all of the life-cycle events in Judaism, the Bar and Bat Mitzvah rite reflects the most fundamental of Jewish beliefs. At the core of the Judaic belief system is the assumption that a very special historical and spiritual relationship—referred to, traditionally, as a covenant— exists between the one God of heaven and earth and the people of Israel. By demonstrating both religious literacy and a willingness to freely embrace a life of sacred duties and obligations, adolescent Jewish boys and girls renew that covenant in a public and deliberate way.

The Bar or Bat Mitzvah ritual is not, however, a prerequisite for membership in the Jewish community. Historically, the only precondition of Jewish identity has been whether or not one has been bom to a Jewish mother. Although Judaism has always accepted converts, the majority of the world’s Jews have been persons whose ancestors are also Jewish. Nevertheless, this rite of passage has achieved its present popularity because it symbolizes a commitment to a communal religious life and to Judaism as the collective faith experience of the Jewish people.

Judaism is one of the world’s oldest extant religions. In addition to examining the teachings and practices of the Jewish religion, we will also survey the historical context out of which they emerged and to which they responded. But first we present an overview of Judaism’s teachings.

TIMELINE

Judaism

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