| For Jews, religious observances are a way of
turning beliefs into actions. These actions are the rituals that create
religious moments in a person’s everyday life. There are several major
Jewish rituals that mark the passage of time and make time holy, other
rituals are directed at helping a person to “think” Jewishly, and
still other rituals are designed to help Jews to act Jewishly.
The rituals that divide time and make time holy include the holy
days and the special celebrations that are a part of the life cycle of the
Jew.
 BRIT MILAH AND NAMING
The first Jewish life-cycle celebration for the male baby is Brit
Milah, circumcision. Through this symbolic act, which according to the
Bible began with Abraham and Isaac, Jewish males are brought into the
community of Israel, marked for life as Jews, and given a Hebrew name. The
practice of brit milah is common to all religious movements within Judaism
and may be performed in the home or the hospital. Among Conservative and
Reform Jews (and sometimes even among Orthodox Jews), a naming ceremony in
the home or in the synagogue welcomes female babies to their new Jewish
identities.
BAR AND BAT MITZVAH
Around the time of their thirteenth birthday, boys and girls are
initiated into adulthood in the Jewish community. The ceremony is called Bar
Mitzvah for boys and Bat Mitzvah for girls—the terms are
identical, one being masculine and the other feminine; both mean “Child
of the Commandment(s).” It is at the age of twelve and a half for girls
and thirteen for boys that young people become adults according to Jewish
law. No ceremony is actually necessary, but ceremonies have been customary
since the late Middle Ages. Boys (and sometimes girls as well) are called
before the congregation to lead the congregation in worship and to read
from the Torah, the scroll of parchment on which are handwritten the Five
Books of Moses in Hebrew. This reading is often chanted to an ancient
melody called a trop. Both boys and girls read also from the Haftarah,
a weekly selection from the Prophets loosely connected t o the weekly
Torah portion.
There are several reasons for this elaborate ceremony. First, as
noted above, it marks the point at which a Jewish child becomes
responsible for keeping the mitzvot (commandments) of Judaism.
Second, it marks a point in the education of the Jewish youth. Not
only a rabbi but also any Jewish adult may lead a prayer service or
perform a Jewish ceremony in all branches of Judaism except the Orthodox.
(In Orthodox practice, only men are allowed to lead congregational
worship.) So the Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony is a way of showing that the
young person has a sufficient command of Judaism and of Hebrew to lead the
congregation.
Third, Bar or Bat Mitzvah provides an important occasion for family
celebration. Families typically gather at such times—cousins, uncles,
aunts, and even distant relatives making special efforts to attend the
ceremony. Everyone joins in the worship service at the temple or
synagogue; and, usually, a party is held in honor of the Bar or Bat
Mitzvah.
THE JEWISH WEDDING
Like members of other religious groups, Jewish parents encourage
their children to marry other Jews. The Jewish wedding ceremony is called Kiddushin,
which means “holiness.” Rabbis or cantors officiate on behalf of both
the state and the Jewish people in performing Jewish weddings. According
to Jewish tradition, marriage is the most holy of all human institutions.
It is counted among the 613 commandments found in the Torah and
traditional Jews believe that a person must be married and have children
to fulfill this mitzvah properly.
In traditional circles, a Ketubah, special marriage contract,
is drawn up. This is a legal agreement between the bride and the groom
concerning the marriage arrangements. Many beautifully illuminated and
decorated ketubah documents have survived the ages, announcing the
marriage arrangements of Jews throughout history. Reform and Conservative
Jews also utilize a ketubah that may be beautifully decorated but seldom
has the specific legal elements of an Orthodox ketubah.
JUDAISM AND DEATH
Judaism teaches that the soul lives on after a person dies. Still,
death is a sad time for Jews, as it is for all peoples. Jewish belief does
not require a final rite while a person is dying. There is a brief Viddui
or confession, provided that the dying person is able to speak and
wishes to recite it. But if the dying person does not speak the words of
the viddui, or if a rabbi is not present, no Jew feels that the
soul of the deceased is endangered in any way.
According to Jewish practice, the dead are buried as soon as
possible. Traditional Jews do not allow cremations of the dead, and the
body of the deceased is tended with great care and respect, often by a
group of Jews called the Hevrah Kadishah or “holy community.”
As the term indicates, taking care of the dead is considered an act of
great merit.
The week following a burial is a period of intense mourning for
family and friends. The family remains at home, sitting on low stools as a
sign of sorrow. Relatives and friends visit, and daily worship services
are recited in the home. The Sabbath is an exception. Because mourning is
not permitted on Shabbat, the family leaves its home and joins with the
congregation at a synagogue or temple service.
During the first year after a death, the children of a dead parent
and the dead person’s sisters and brothers attend synagogue regularly to
recite a special prayer for the dead called the Kaddish, the
“hallowing” or “making holy.” Each year, on the anniversary of the
death, Jews recite the kaddish in memory of a dead family member. Most
Jews also light a candle in their home on the anniversary as a reminder of
their departed relative.
(c) 2008 by Seymour Rossel
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