The bar mitzvah celebration is a relatively modern practice that first took shape among Ashkenazi Jews in the sixteenth century. At the age of thirteen, a boy becomes " bar mitzvah" (literally, "subject to religious commandment"), and carries out certain precepts for the first time - praying with tefillin (phylacteries), being "called up" to the Torah in synagogue, and reading the haftarah (a short selection from the Book of Prophets read after the Torah portion). The celebrations conclude with a festive meal including an elaborate hallah.
It is customary nowadays to separate the religious ceremony from the social celebration, which takes place in a banquet hall. Recently, it has become the practice to celebrate a girl's bat mitzvah in a similar manner. The festive hallot in various shapes decorating the family table hint that the boy or girl has joined the adult community. |
