Life Cycle
Brit Malah ("covenant of circumcision")-According the Hebrew Bible, God commanded Abraham to be circumcised, an act which every male which descends from Abraham shall be circumcised. Brit Malah always occurs on the eighth day of the infants’ life, but if the infant is sick in anyway, the circumcision can be postponed. The Talmud (law) unmistakably states that a boy must NOT be circumcised if he had two brothers who had died in the process of circumcision.
Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah- Bar Mitzvah simply means “Son of the Commandment”. Bar in both Hebrew and Aramaic means son, Bat means daughter and mitzvah means commandments, which leaves Bat Mitzvah meaning “Daughter of the Commandment”. Bar and Bat Mitzvah is a ceremony which recognises that a young person has reached the age where they are no longer minorities. For boys it is 13 years, for girls it is 12. Once the boy was at the age of 13, he would chant the blessings, all or part of the Torah portion of the week.
Marriage- One of the sternest rules in Jewish marriages is that the couple are not allowed to physically touch each other (simple things like holding hands) before marriage. This is done due to the fact that the more they don’t hold hands and talk instead, the better they get to know the person instead of receiving adrenaline from sexual contact. On the couple’s wedding day, the ceremony takes place under a canopy called Chuppah, which is a symbol that the new couple will build together. The roof on the canopy reminds the couple that God is above them and will shelter them, and all the sides are open just as Abraham and Sarah had their tent open to welcome people.
Death- In Judaism, Death is not a tragedy, as they strongly believe that if they did good deeds within their time on earth, they will have a great afterlife. Once a Jewish person passes away, it is required that they are buried within 24 hours of their death, not only because of tradition, but simply because the deceased body starts to release unpleasant scents. The body is never to be left alone from the moment of death, to the burial. It is prohibited that the guard of the body does not consume any liquid or food whilst guarding, as it would mock the deceased.
Bar Mitzvah & Bat Mitzvah- Bar Mitzvah simply means “Son of the Commandment”. Bar in both Hebrew and Aramaic means son, Bat means daughter and mitzvah means commandments, which leaves Bat Mitzvah meaning “Daughter of the Commandment”. Bar and Bat Mitzvah is a ceremony which recognises that a young person has reached the age where they are no longer minorities. For boys it is 13 years, for girls it is 12. Once the boy was at the age of 13, he would chant the blessings, all or part of the Torah portion of the week.
Marriage- One of the sternest rules in Jewish marriages is that the couple are not allowed to physically touch each other (simple things like holding hands) before marriage. This is done due to the fact that the more they don’t hold hands and talk instead, the better they get to know the person instead of receiving adrenaline from sexual contact. On the couple’s wedding day, the ceremony takes place under a canopy called Chuppah, which is a symbol that the new couple will build together. The roof on the canopy reminds the couple that God is above them and will shelter them, and all the sides are open just as Abraham and Sarah had their tent open to welcome people.
Death- In Judaism, Death is not a tragedy, as they strongly believe that if they did good deeds within their time on earth, they will have a great afterlife. Once a Jewish person passes away, it is required that they are buried within 24 hours of their death, not only because of tradition, but simply because the deceased body starts to release unpleasant scents. The body is never to be left alone from the moment of death, to the burial. It is prohibited that the guard of the body does not consume any liquid or food whilst guarding, as it would mock the deceased.