What is a Bar Mitzvah? This is a special event in the life of a boy. The traditional custom of bar mitzva is that the boy (or girl) will receive a new set of clothes, usually a set of "Shomer" or Kippa. Bar Mitzva typically takes place when the boy turns nine years old, but it can occur at any time between nine and thirteen years of age. Bar Mitzva is a very important Jewish coming of adulthood ritual; the boy is formally acknowledging his independence from his mother, who usually becomes the chief source of food during this time. Bat Mitzva is a similar Jewish rite of passage ritual for young women, though the ceremony is much more formal.
The Bar Mitzva ritual in Jewish tradition includes various elements. At the beginning of the ceremony, the father of the groom or the high priest or rabbi should hold a ceremony where he declares the boy to be "born in the right manner." He then presents the boy with the Shomer Gadol, which is a tall golden ceremonial utensil. Then the bride's father, or her brother, should hold anointing the body with oil. At this point, the groom or his father, who is the officiant, recites a blessing over the bride and the groom. He then removes his garments, ties a ring around the bridegroom's right index finger and then applies a ring to the groom's left hand as a sign of the two joining together. At this point, the two men each apply holy ashes to the child's forehead.
After all these preparations, the bar mitzvah service is held at the home of the groom or the family of the bride. As part of the service, the groom must recite a blessing over the child. After the blessing, the bridegroom takes a ring from the priest's hands, holds it above the child's head for about a minute and then returns the ring to the priest's hands. The bridegroom then asks his father to give him a kiss on the bride's temple and then places a ring on his bride's left hand and then gives her a wedding cake (or "tzedek"). Afterwards, he presents her with a gold or silver tray of small gifts to celebrate the event.
During the Bar Mitzva ceremony, the bride's parents and brothers should take a bath together. Afterwards, the bridegroom will ask the bride to perform a special ceremony that celebrates her becoming a "beit midrash," or Jewish wife. This is performed by the priest and her parents and brothers in front of the entire community. The bridegroom will then take her to the priest's home, and then she will give him a basket filled with blessings. Read more here about about Bar Mitzva and its significance.
The groom should take the child to a place where he will practice dancing before he performs the Bar Mitzva ceremony. The bridegroom will then be blessed by his father and then take her to her family home.
In addition to the groom performing the ceremony, the bridegroom may also perform the ceremony himself, which is called "kiddush Hashem." This is when he will offer blessings over the bride as a sign of his complete dedication and commitment to her, as well as a gesture of gratitude for the help that he has received from her family. The bridegroom will then take his bride's father to the home of the bridegroom and the groom and his father will perform a blessing over them both. The bridegroom then takes the bride's father and his bride to their home of the bridegroom, to celebrate the wedding day. Click on this link to learn more about bar mitzvah: https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/judaism/judaism/bar-mitzvah.
