Traditionally, the Jewish rite of passage was the bar mitzvah. At the age of 13 (12 for a girl), a child became a Jewish adult, subject to all of Jewish law. What many people do not realize is that most young people in talmudic and even medieval times would be married off at that time. Thus, bar mitzvah once truly marked the onset of adulthood.
Today, with adolescence stretching out through one’s 20s, bar mitzvah, while it might signify the onset of puberty, hardly ushers in adulthood. Other significant rites of passage include getting a driver’s license, graduation from high school, going off to college, and college graduation. In addition, while bar or bat mitzvah might coincide with the onset of puberty, the ceremony is not specific to the physical changes wrought by puberty.
Ritualwell features communal and personal ceremonies for the onset of menstruation, traditional and new bat mitzvah prayers and rituals, and rituals for getting a driver’s license and going off to college. Hopefully, one day we will have comparable puberty rituals for boys.
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