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