Bar Mitzvah a History

<p>The Jewish coming-of-age ceremony of bar mitzvah was first recorded in thirteenth-century France where it took the form of a simple statement by the father that he was no longer responsible for his thirteen-year-old son. Today bar mitzvah for boys and bat mitzvah for girls are more popular than at any time in history and are sometimes accompanied by lavish celebrations.</p><p>How did bar mitzvah develop over the centuries from an obscure legal ritual into a core component of Judaism? How did it capture the imagination of even non-Jewish youth? <em>Bar Mitzvah a History</em> is a comprehensive account of the ceremonies and celebrations for both boys and girls. A cultural anthropology informed by rabbinic knowledge it explores the origins and development of the most important coming-of-age milestone in Judaism. Rabbi Michael Hilton has sought out every reference to bar mitzvah in the Bible the Talmud and numerous other Jewish texts spanning several centuries extracting a fascinating miscellany of information stories and commentary.</p><p></p><p>Michael Hilton has been rabbi of Kol Chai Hatch End Jewish Community in London since 2001. He is the author of <em>The Christian Effect on Jewish Life</em> and coauthor of <em>The Gospels and Rabbinic Judaism: A Study Guid</em>e.</p><p></p><p></p>