Jewish Religion and Tradition: Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and Storytelling

The history of Jews in host cities often depict a story of success or of failure when it comes to relations between the Jews and the Christians in Europe. Historian Jonathan Elukin, author of Living Together, Living Apart, presents the integration as a success process with rare, and special cases, of failure. On the other side of the spectrum is historian Raymond P. Scheindlin. Scheindlin’s novel, A Short History of the Jewish People, presents many cases of integration between the Christians and Jews that led to massacres and brutal endings for the Jewish community. There are many monumental events that take place during the long span of time that oversees European Jewish history, and both historians study and evaluate the events, however, they do so through different lenses.

Bar Mitzvah Speech The parasha I am reading in the Torah is called Tol’dot. Tol’dot is the story of Jacob and Esav. Sibling rivalry, is the focus of the parasha. The brothers had a competition for their father’s blessing.

Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Jewish religious movements, sometimes referred to as denominations, can be looked at in terms of paradigm shifts in the Jewish Culture. Jewish denominations include different groups of Jews that have developed since the ancient times. In the United States, these denominations took the form of three large groups known as Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. While each denomination keeps to certain core beliefs, there is diversity within the faith as a whole.

Confirmation in Christianity and Bar and Bat Mitzvah in Judaism have many similarities and differences.

It’s very important to know the story of the bible because it teaches us how we were created. We were created in the image and likeness of God. The story of the bible also lets us know about Jesus, his fall, his rise, etc. It teaches us some of the different covenants God made to us. It also talks about the prophets of the bible.

‘Bar Mitvah’ is an important and time-honoured rite of passage which is a ‘coming of age’ milestone for a boy who reaches his 13th birthday. The term ‘Bar Mitzvah’ literally means ‘son of the commandment.’ This celebration formally and publicly marks the obligation of the child of 13 years old (12 for girls), to observe the commandments. This ritual traditionally recognises that a young person has reached the age when he or she is no longer a minor according to Jewish law and thereby took on new religious privileges and responsibilities of an adult.

When you enter the temple the object that stands out the most is the big candlelight-like structure on the upper part of the wall behind the stage. Later I learned that the wall below the candlelight could be open to reveal a sanctuary that is supposed to represent the arc that the Jews carried through the dessert. Although the one in the temple does not utilize olive oil or real fire, the candlelight on top represents the eternal light that the sanctuary had which burn with pure olive oil. The arc is an extremely important symbol in Judaism. It contains several beautiful Torah's with covers with different captivating designs. The beauty of the Torah's cover is important because it is the word of God and it is a way too honor God. The Torah's are to be written in parchment by a Jewish scribe who has special training and it takes about a year for one to written. The Torah's kept on the arc are usually only taken out on special occasions such as Bar Mitzvah or a Bat Mitzvah.

Early modern Jewish history is filled with depth and knowledge that captivated and cultivated the religion into what it would become. An important part of the history were the ideologies and philosophies of Moses Mendelssohn. Considered the first modern Jewish philosopher and a shaper of Judaism, Mendelssohn was the start of what would become the Jewish Enlightenment. Being the first person to translate the Bible from Hebrew to German, he opened up the door for Jews to rediscover and enhance their knowledge. A writer and philosopher, several of Mendelssohn's writings were highly successful and considered a herald to a new way of thinking. While many of his writings received praise from people of different parts, critiques arose, including

To become an effective counselor to Jewish Americans or any race or diverse population is to be aware of one’s thoughts and opinions concerning racism and racial advantage, as well increase knowledge of culture’s different from oneself (Hays & Erford, 2014). Jewish Americans are referred to those Caucasian individuals who have immigrated to the United States from another country, such as Eastern Europe (Hays and Erford, 2014). In this paper, I will identify and provide a description of the Jewish population and how they differ from myself in a variety of ways. Additionally, I will provide a reflection of my immersion into the Jewish culture via my observations and highlight what I have learned

“Certainly, the world without the Jews would have been a radically different place. Humanity might have eventually stumbled upon all the Jewish insights. But we cannot be sure. All the great conceptual discoveries of the human intellect seem obvious and inescapable once they had been revealed, but it requires a special genius to formulate them for the first time. The Jews had this gift. To them we owe the idea of equality before the law, both divine and human; of the sanctity of life and the dignity of human person; of the individual conscience and so a personal redemption; of collective conscience and so of social responsibility; of peace as an abstract ideal and love as the foundation of justice, and many other items which constitute the

Throughout the history of the world, the Jewish people have been persecuted and oppressed because of their religious beliefs and faith. Many groups of people have made Jews their scapegoat. Jews have suffered from years of intolerance because people have not understood what the religion really means. They do not understand where and why the religion began, nor the customs of it's people. For one to understand the great hardships, triumphs, and history of the Jewish people one must open-mindedly peruse a greater knowledge of the Jewish people and faith.

Human nature is an often debated topic. Some believe the natural state of humans to be good; some believe it evil. Catholic doctrine teaches original sin: the idea that all people are born bearing the primeval sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Jewish doctrine teaches differently: all humans are born without sin just as was created without sin. The second is certainly more appealing because it is far less damning of humankind. The Catholic belief teaches that humankind is born evil and is evil by nature and Jewish belief is that humans are what they make of themselves. Both traditions have similar origins and draw on much of the same scripture for their beliefs, though these traditions have a vastly opposing view on this fundamental point.

The Mezuzah is a small box that contains tiny scrolls with Bible verses written on them. The verses displayed on the scrolls come from Deuteronomy. The text serves as a reminder to the homeowners and to the people that are welcomed inside that they should serve God and to study the Torah. In Hebrew the word Mezuzah means “doorpost.” The box is usually placed on the right hand side of the doorpost in Jewish homes. All religions have sacred objects, meaning something of high importance. In Judaism the home is a place of worship, many holidays take place in the home like Passover, Sukkot, Janukkah, and Shabbat. They find the home to be a place where they can practice their beliefs so they call it sacred. Having the presences of the Mezuzah is a physical symbol that marks Jewish homes as a sacred space separate from the world around them. It is symbolized as a blessing over the home to protect the people inside it from evil and mystical spirits.

There are many different cultures that surround us everyday; each one with its own unique customs and lifestyles. The Jewish culture contains some of the oldest traditions and customs that date back thousands of years. This culture has survived everything from exile to almost being diminished during the Holocaust. The Jewish culture has a unique culture, that has much to share with the world around them.

When a Jewish boy is then 13 he has a Bar Mitzvah, meaning ‘son of the