(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Jewish Rituals And Festivities

The actual performance of each ritual also makes them feel closer connection to God and his presence. One of the down sides of having such a ritualistic and ceremonial based religion is that a person or individual can get caught up the "ritual- and it can become very dry and monotonous. That is why it is so important to balance the ritual or festivity with their spiritual side.
             Around the time of their thirteenth birthday, boys and girls are initiated into adulthood in the Jewish community. The ceremony is called Bar Mitzvah for boys and Bat Mitzvah for girls "the terms are identical, one being masculine and the other feminine; both mean "Child of the Commandment(s)."" It is at the age of twelve and a half for girls and thirteen for boys that young people become adults according to Jewish law. No ceremony is actually necessary, but ceremonies have been customary since the late Middle Ages. Boys (and sometimes girls as well) are called before the congregation to lead the congregation in worship and to read from the Torah, the scroll of parchment on which are handwritten the Five Books of Moses in Hebrew. This reading is often chanted to an ancient melody called a trop. Both boys and girls read also from the Haftarah, a weekly selection from the Prophets loosely connected t o the weekly Torah portion.There are several reasons for this elaborate ceremony.!.
             First, as noted above, it marks the point at which a Jewish child becomes responsible for keeping the mitzvot (commandments) of Judaism. Second, it marks a point in the education of the Jewish youth. Not only a rabbi but also any Jewish adult may lead a prayer service or perform a Jewish ceremony in all branches of Judaism except the Orthodox. (In Orthodox practice, only men are allowed to lead congregational worship.) So the Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony is a way of showing that the young person has a sufficient command of Judaism and of Hebrew to lead the congregation.


Essays Related to Jewish Rituals And Festivities

1. Overview of Jewish Death Practices

All people will go through some type of grief throughout their life, however, different cultures have different beliefs, traditions, rituals, funeral customs, thoughts about afterlife, and ways to grieve. ... People who practice Jewish rituals and traditions have very particular death practices, including funeral, burial, and mourning periods. ... When the ritual is over, the people who attended the burial form a double line pathway and give words of comfort to the mourners as they walk through (Jewish Funeral Home, 2015). ... (Jewish Funeral Home, 2015). ... Learning about their rituals and...

  • Word Count: 1330
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. History of the Jewish People in England

Since the beginning of Jewish presence in England, the Jewish people lived a life of great hatred and persecution. ... Some light had been shed on the Jewish people in the early 1100s, possibly a turnaround for the Jewish people in England. ... The name given to these allegations was the ritual murders or the 'Blood Libel.' There were alleged to be four victims of this ritual performed by the Jews. ... The aspects of the Jewish religion despite the Christians knowing that with Jesus being raised as Jewish influenced the persecutions of the Jewish people by the Christians. ...

  • Word Count: 1441
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Kashrut - Jewish Law and the Purity System

Jewish Orthodoxy teaches that a Jew is someone born of a Jewish mother or has converted, sometimes through marriage. ... Kashrut is the body of Jewish law that deals with the 'purity' system. ... This includes ritual, religion, civil and criminal law, and morality and ethics. ... The Jewish dietary laws, or kashrut, are found in halakha. ... The laws relating to sacred places donates to the significance of holiness and therefore the observance of laws during Sabbath and the life rituals of Judaism. ...

  • Word Count: 1857
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Sundance of the Sioux and the Jewish Brit Milah

The ritual Sundance of the Sioux and the Jewish Brit Milah ceremony could not come from two more different religions, yet both rituals share similarities. ... The Jewish practice of circumcision is symbolic of binding the physical body to Christ, while the Lakota Sun Dance ritual is a symbol of the renewal of the tribe by learning through the traditions of ancestors. ... The ceremony is performed by a mohel, ritual circumciser, and the entire ritual includes a special blessing over a cup of wine, the male child receives his Jewish name, after which a celebratory meal, the seudat mitzah, is und...

  • Word Count: 1403
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. A Ritual of Self Acceptance Following Divorce

Now after, dealing with the comparing and contrasting of past a Jewish life and contemporary Jewish life, I am ready for the ritual to help my sister heal. The Ritual of Self Acceptance Following Divorce A ritual is any specific set of actions, which you perform in order to achieve a higher, spiritual state. One person alone can do ritual, and such solitary rituals can be very intense and fulfilling. ... It's hard to feel sacred about a ritual that makes you feel strange or silly, so if anyone has any problems being comfortable with a ritual, then don't have him or her participa...

  • Word Count: 1970
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Jewish People and the Holocaust

It is also proved by the fact that the Jewish people were targeted, the systematic extermination of the Jewish people and the scale and proportion of the Jewish extermination. ... The meaning of the word helps to argue both ways; the large scale destruction the Jewish race faced implies that the Holocaust was directed towards the Jewish. ... By constantly slandering the Jewish race it had been made possible to use the Holocaust to exterminate the Jewish. ... The scale of the destruction of the Jewish race was one way to prove that the singular goal of the Holocaust was to exterminate the Jewi...

  • Word Count: 888
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. The Jewish Pilgrimage

The Romans did not allow Jewish pilgrims into the city, however according to the written version of the Jewish oral law, known as Talmud, some Jews secretly made their way to the site of the Temple anyway. ... Kaddish refers to the rituals of the mourners, is directed at the living, and shows that despite the loss, they still praise God. ... Selichot refers to Jewish penitential poems and prayers, with God's thirteeen attributes of mercy being the central theme. ... The Jewish belief of being together and feeling part of a global community with a close bond with Jewish people all over the...

  • Word Count: 2466
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Diwali

Campbell believed that participation in ritual could put you into a direct experience of mythic reality. ... Although all of these religions are practiced following their own particular religious customs, and traditions, many celebrations, rituals, customs, holidays, and festivities are similar amongst the Hindus and the Sikhs. There are many rituals practiced commonly by both of these religions. ... Enthusiastically enjoyed by people of every religion, its magical and radiant touch creates an atmosphere of joy and festivity. ... Although we can not have fireworks at home, there are special ...

  • Word Count: 1100
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question