In Poland, the center of talmudic learning in the 16th and 17th centuries, there were precocious and highly gifted boys of bar mitzvah age who were capable of delivering an original casuistic discourse in talmudic law.
Naturally, these boys were the exceptions, but there were many others who could, with the assistance of their teacher, accomplish this feat of learning. It was a test and display of talmudic knowledge. In many cases, the teacher prepared the drasha, and the boy learned it by rote and then delivered it. In the 17th century among the German Jews in Worms, the lad was dressed in new clothes bought especially for this occasion.
On the Sabbath of his bar mitzvah, he chanted the entire Torah portion. If he happened to have a pleasant voice, he also recited all the prayers before the congregation. Some lads who were not so well versed in Hebrew led only one of the services, either the evening prayers Maariv , the morning prayers Shacharit , or the additional Sabbath prayers Musaf.
The bar mitzvah feast was served in the afternoon, as the third meal of the Sabbath. An hour before Mincha the afternoon prayers , the bar mitzvah lad, dressed in his new clothes, went to the homes of the guests to invite them to the third meal. At the meal, the lad delivered a drasha on the customs of bar mitzvah and acted as the leader in reciting the grace after the meal birkat hamazon.
There is, in modern times, no uniformity in the bar mitzvah celebration. The bar mitzvah may read the entire Torah portion, the maftir final portion , the haftarah, or some combination of these, and may deliver a drasha, but he would definitely have an aliyah.
There is also a divergence in the custom regarding the tallit, or prayer shawl. In some communities, a boy donned a tallit on the Sabbath of his bar mitzvah, in others, he did not put it on until he was married.
The Ashkenazic Jews always present gifts to the boy in honor of his bar mitzvah. In America, the bar mitzvah celebration plays an important role in Jewish life and is often accompanied by a fancy party and gifts. University Professor and Joseph H. Jonathan D. Sarna does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In my experience, many modern-day teens who gather for this ceremony have no idea what the word bar mitzvah means, nor how the ceremony they have come to observe evolved. The term never once appears in the Hebrew Bible. Most parties feature a gift table or other place designated for gifts. For gift suggestions, click here. Also known as a yarmulke. Jewish Coming of Age. Jewish Lifecycle. We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and bring you ads that might interest you.
What Happens After the Service? What About Gifts? The boy puts on the tefillin for the first time. The rabbi gives a talk, speaking to both the boy and his family and to the rest of the community. The boy might also give a talk to the people gathered. The boy receives gifts and there is a celebratory meal. During her Bat Mitzvah, a girl may read from the Torah or she may instead read a prayer from the Siddur.
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