Post on 13-Jan-2016
The Life of a Jewish Person
BirthThe Jewish Bible commands that the Jewish people be fruitful and multiply
CircumcisionCircumcision- when the foreskin is removed from the penis
CircumcisionWhy do Jews circumcise their sons?– God commanded that Abraham and all
Jewish boys be circumcised
CircumcisionOrthodox Jews only consider circumcised Jewish men to be Jewish
CircumcisionSince blood is drawn during the circumcision the circumcision is considered a sacrifice to God.
CircumcisionIf you convert to Judaism and you are already circumcised you must still go through a ceremony where blood is drawn from the penis
CircumcisionYou do not need a Rabbi to complete the circumcision
The father is supposed to do it
MohelMost parents hire a Mohel
-a person that is specially trained to perform circumcisions
BrisThe ceremony of circumcision
The godparent holds the child during the circumcision
CircumcisedThe child is circumcised 8 days after birth
If the child is sick the Bris can be postponed
Pain ReliefBabies are given a little bit of wine or an a baby Tylenol before the Bris so the baby will sleep and will ease the pain
NamedThe baby is officially named after the circumcision
ForeskinThe foreskin is saved and buried at a later time
PartyFamily and friends are invited to small celebration usually involving dinner in honor of the Bris
Baby GirlsGirls are not circumcised
They do have a baby celebration without the circumcision where they name the baby
BritThe baby girl is bathed in water and named
Naming the Baby
Jewish children are not named after their parents but other family members
Jewish children have a English name and then a Hebrew name
Buy BackTraditionally your first born son would be sent to the temple to work
Now, there is a ceremony where the father buys back his son from the Temple (donation to the temple)
Bar MitzvahIs not a verb but a state of meaning
You can not be Bar Mitzvahed
Bar MitzvahBoys at age 13 and a day
Must learn to read enough Hebrew to read the Torah
Bar MitzvahScheduled on a Saturday morning
The boy reads from the Torah
The boy gives a speech
Party!
Bar MitzvahThere is a second Bar Mitzvah at the age of 83
At 70 you become a new person, so 13 years later you have the second Bar Mitzvah
Bat MitzvahGirls at the age of 12 and a day
Jewish Wedding
Jews can not marry their mother, grandmother, granddaughter, sister, half-sister, aunt, niece, mother-in-law, step mother, daughter-in-law or any married woman not granted a religious divorce
Jewish Wedding
Men and women have equal rights in choosing a spouse
Jewish Wedding
Customs:1. At Shabbat before the wedding the groom
and bride read from the Torah and are pelted with nuts and candy from the crowd
Jewish Wedding
Customs:2. Women take a ritual bath the day before
the wedding in a natural fresh body of water
Jewish Wedding
Customs:3. The groom and bride should be separated
from each other for a week before they are to be married
Jewish Wedding
Customs: 4. A women can not be married during her
menstrual cycle
Jewish Wedding
Customs: 5. Men typically wear a ceremonial white
robe at their wedding.
-they will be buried in the same road
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
1. The Marriage Canopy
- called a Chuppah
- held over the heads of the bride
and groom during the ceremony
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
1. The Marriage Canopy
- called a Chuppah
- held over the heads of the bride
and groom during the ceremony
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
1. The Marriage Canopy
- called a Chuppah
- held over the heads of the bride
and groom during the ceremony
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
1. The Marriage Canopy
- called a Chuppah
- held over the heads of the bride
and groom during the ceremony
- can be decorated
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
2. Drinking Wine
- bride and groom drink from the
same glass
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
3. Rings
- couples exchange rings
- groom says to bride’ “with this ring, you are consecrated to me, according to the tradition of Moses and Israel”
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
4. The Seven Blessings
- mark the moment of the marriage
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
5. Breaking the Glass
- represents the destruction of the Temple
- everyone yells: “Mazel tov!”
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
6. The Ketubah
- the marriage contract is signed
- sort of prenuptial agreement
- details financial & sexual requirements, etcetera
Jewish Wedding
Rituals:
7.the back room
- For ten minutes directly after the wedding the bride and groom spend time alone with each other in a quiet room
Jewish Divorce
Jewish men can not just divorce their wives
A Jewish man must present his wife with a get to divorce her
Jewish Divorce
A get is a complex legal document written by a Rabbi
Jewish Divorce
A man can divorce a woman for any reason
Jewish Divorce
A woman can not divorce her husband without his permission
If she does get a divorce she can not get remarried for at least 90 days
Jewish Divorce
If a man dies and his body is never found the wife can not remarry
Jewish Death
Jews leave an ethical will
An ethical will is a will that is read out loud to your family and friends when you die
Jewish Death
Ethical wills often include:– Spiritual encouragement– How you want your family to act after
your death– Your accomplishments– Your mistakes– Asks for forgiveness
Jewish Death
Suicide & assisted suicide is a sin– Can not be buried in a Jewish cemetery– No mourning
Jewish Death
A blessing is said when the person passes away:
– “Blessed are You, Eternal One our God, Universal Ruler, the True Judge”
Jewish Death
Body should be buried as soon as possible preferably the next day
Funerals can not be held on Shabbat or holidays
Jewish Death
The body can not be left alone and the guard must recite Psalms until relieved
Jewish Death
The body is never displayed in an open casket at a wake
Jewish Death
There is no embalming of the body
The body must be buried
If a body part is lost during a life time it is buried along with the body
Jewish Death
The bodies must be washed, dressed in a white shroud, and blessed before they are buried
Jewish Death
The casket is generally as inexpensive and plain as possible
Jewish Death
Family members tear a piece of their clothing to symbolize their grief
Jewish Death
The family throws the first dirt on the casket when it is lowered
Jewish Death
Traditional Dinner– Eat round foods to symbolize the cycle of
life– Examples: eggs, chickpeas, bagels,
etcetera
Jewish Death
Mirrors are covered in the home
Jewish Death
For one week the family:– Don’t cut hair– Don’t have sex– Don’t listen to music– Don’t do anything fun– Don’t go out– Keep a candle burning
Jewish Death
The children of the deceased mourn for a year
– No going out– No fun
Jewish Death
On the anniversary of the day the person died the children light a candle
Jewish Death
Jewish Bible says that Jacob buried his wife and placed a pillar upon her grave
That tradition became the tombstone
Respond
How has the Jewish tradition affected American life/culture today?
Try to give specific examples in your answer