Bat mitzvah
Bat Mitzvah: New Responsibilities
When a Jewish girl gets to the age of puberty, she will have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. This ceremony will signify her transformation from a girl to a woman. The ceremony is the way of showing the world that she is no longer a girl, but a woman with new responsibilities and expectations.
While at one time twelve was considered to be the age for a Bat Mitzvah that age has changed to thirteen in most Jewish circles. That is so the Bat Mitzvah and the Bar Mitzvah will occur at the same age. Boys had traditionally gone through their Bar Mitzvah at thirteen, so the age was changed so both boys and girls would enter adulthood at the same age.
There are many changes in the life of a girl after her Bat Mitzvah. Mostly, she has to undertake a new set of responsibilities. The first responsibility is a new sense of moral responsibility. No longer are their parents responsible for their children once they reach the age of adulthood. The women are now morally responsible for their actions.
They are also allowed to own personal property. In Jewish law, children do not own property. However, after they reach the age of puberty, they are able to own property.
After the Bat Mitzvah, women are old enough to be married. While this is true with Jewish law, it is not a widely accepted practice. This is something accepted in theory much more than in action.
They also must follow the laws of the Torah after they enter into adulthood. Since they are the only ones responsible for their actions, they are also responsible for following the laws of the Torah. There are a lot of more expectations for a woman than for a girl.
The Bat Mitzvah is a celebration to show a girl has become a woman. Even without the celebration, the same things will still be expected of her after she reaches the age of puberty. However, the ceremony is a way to celebrate this new life change and to prepare the woman for the next chapter of her life.
-- The author, Adherents, runs the website adherents.com which collects and presents statistics and other information on religion. Adherents.com is the leading authority when referencing religious statistics for the TV news and print media. © 2008 http://www.adherents.com - All Rights Reserved
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