Article: A lighthearted bar mitzvah guide for the perplexed

Bar mitzvah boy, bar mitzvah boy,

Put away your childish toys.

From Dan to Beersheva the prophets cry,

Its time to be a man.

Introduction

The ceremony that we will witness today marks the passage of a Jewish girl or boy from childhood into adulthood. From this day on he is ethically and morally responsible for his behavior; literally a bar (son) mitzvah (commandment) a son of the commandments, or a bat mitzvah, daughter of the commandments.

Contrary to the common wisdom, our Bible is jammed with 603 commandments, in addition to the familiar 10. The youth undertake a heavy obligation.

We realize that some of our friends, both Jewish and Christian, may never have attended a bar mitzvah ...

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