What is Bar Mitzvah? From Wikipedia:
Bar is a Jewish word literally meaning “son” and mitzvah means “commandment” or “law”. Thus bar mitzvah literally translate to “son of commandment”. However, in rabbinical usage, the word bar means “under the category of” or “subject to”. Bar mitzvah therefore translates to “an [agent] who is subject to the law”. Although the term is commonly used to refer to the ritual itself, in fact the phrase originally refers to the person.
According to Jewish law, when Jewish boys become 13 years old, they become accountable for their actions and become a bar mitzvah. Prior to reaching bar mitzvah age, the child’s parents hold the responsibility for the child’s actions. After this age, the boys bear their own responsibility for Jewish ritual law, tradition, and ethics, and are able to participate in all areas of Jewish community life.
This was a deeply emotional celebration. Even though I met Zachary and his family only that day, some parts of the event were so touching that I had my eyes full of tears, leave alone all other guests. What a wonderful family! And such a good boy, who is actually no longer a boy, but a young man ready to be fully responsible for his actions.
A special shout-out to Rabbi & Cantor Mordechai Walker who was, as I could clearly see, not only an excellent teacher for Zachary, but also became a very close family friend. Plus the way he hosted this event was absolutely amazing! Oh, and did I mention that he sings?
