jug@whuxle.UUCP (Joseph U. Grauman) (02/25/84)
Having spent the first 16 years of my life in Israel (when I was born it was actually still Palestine), I recall that young ladies celebrated Bat-Mitzvah at the age of 12. Can anyone explain to me why, in the US, Bat-Mitzvah is celebrated at the age of 13? This is not a criticism. In fact, it is quite appropriate and consistent with male/female equality. I am just interested in finding out the reason or origin of this discrepancy. Joe Grauman ATT-BL whuxg!jug
rao@utcsstat.UUCP (Eli Posner) (02/26/84)
[] I personally have never heard of a Bat-Mitzvah at 13, but in any case it's just plain wrong. Halachically a women reaches 'womenhood' at 12 years and one day. I assume people have it at 13, for ridiculous "women's lib" reasons. -- Eli Posner {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!utcsstat!rao
ariels@orca.UUCP (02/26/84)
The original difference is due to the fact that girls mature earlier than boys do. This is a medical fact. Look it up in any text that covers adolecence. I suspect the reason that in the US girls celebrate at 13, and not 12, is that 1) Girls who celebrate Batei Mitzvah are not Orthodox, but Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, or whatever, and it is possible that the individual congregations (not the rabbis, just the congregations) don't know the 12 vs 13 difference. 2) 12 year olds of either sex are not as likely as 13 year olds to take their studying and preparation seriously, so they wait. 3) The brothers would get upset if their sisters got a Bat Mitzvah when she was younger than he is when he gets his Bar Mitzvah, so it's all to keep family peace. Please remember that a girl is Bat Mitzah at 12, and a boy Bar Mitzvah at 13 no matter when OR WHETHER they have a celebration at the synagogue. Bat/Bar Mitzvah means that the child's parents are no longer responsible for the child's spiritual life (sins, observation, etc), but that the child becomes responsible for her/him self. Ariel (never had a celebration, but Bat Mitzvah anyway) Shattan ..!tektronix!orca!ariels
sb@linus.UUCP (Shimshon Berkovits) (02/27/84)
It depends with whom you speak in the US. The Orthodox law says a girl becomes responsible for her own religious acts at age twelve while for a boy the age is thirteen. The difference, I believe, has its origin in a recognition of the differing rates of maturing exhibited by the male and by the female of the species. That some Conservative and all Reform girls celebrate at thirteen, I presume, derives from a move to be just like the boys. In this, as in many other things, the move to absolute equality obliterates Judaism's long-standing recognition of a certain superiority of the female over the male. If the group is looking for a subject for discussion, Judaism's attitude toward women should be a wire-burner. Shim
dbaker@nwuxd.UUCP (Darryl Baker) (03/01/84)
This is a case of equal rights. The only reason for the Bat-Mitzvah at all is to be fair to young ladies. It has no basis that I know of. And I think it was a good idea. As to when it is celebrated it is more a matter of tradition than law. ihnp4!nwuxd!dbaker Darryl Baker