Rabbi Aryeh Cohen on the Meaning of Bar Mitzvah

Minneapolis MN

06 December, 2021

4:59 AM

Description

A Bar Mitzvah is a Jewish coming-of-age ritual that celebrates the 13th birthday of a Jewish boy. The word “bar” means son and “mitzvah” means commandment. A Bar Mitzvah is considered a ritual passage into adulthood. For centuries, this milestone was celebrated with a coming-of-age ceremony for both boys and girls, but today it only applies to boys. This has been due to the process of reform in Judaism, which began in 18th century Europe. The most traditional time for a Bar Mitzvah is on Saturday morning, not Friday evening, as many people believe. The following words of Rabbi Aryeh Cohen speak about the importance of the Bar Mitzvah and its impact on a personal and community level. As a Jew, the process of life is faced in the present with decisions that encompass the future. Each step of religious life will always be accompanied by the longing for the continuity of Jewish life through future generations. “That is why, having the opportunity to get to the moment of celebrating a Bar Mitzvah, as I did with his son, I understand that it is not a goal or an objective as such, but rather as the opportunity to evaluate and glimpse the potential success of my future family. The truth is, this evaluation has been very satisfactory. As a Professor of Rabbinic Literature, I’m aware that the natural tendency of a father is to see his son as the best, and of course, I’m no different. But, if I want to emphasize that my son is a boy with exceptional virtues, I actually allude to his performance in each area of ​​his activities and development, such as school, his friends and the community, where his way of acting, living and deciding reflects the love and real dedication he has towards the Torah and our laudable people”, explains Rabbi Aryeh Cohen. I firmly believe that it is mainly his great soul and of course the family accompaniment full of Torah and good midot (qualities), as well as the development of study of the “Talmud Torah”, which have steered my son into becoming the person he is today. Now, apart from my family feeling a special pride in being able to have the grace of heaven with a good son, and knowing that he is a young man who was born and raised in our community, it is also knowing that in our present we can count on him, and that his good qualities will be an example to follow for the other children who are being formed in our community circle, says Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, a distinguished author and Professor of Rabbinic Literature at the Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University. For this reason, I believe that the religious education of our children is vital, and we must not leave them at the mercy of the technologies and teachings of a world that little or nothing can awaken the virtues that the soul of the Jew should have.