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Rites of passage serve the Jewish religion and culture in order to define the status of the individual and mark the changes occurring in one’s identity as a member of society. These rites were established in connection with important occasions in our lives: birth, adolescence, starting a family, and death.
At the circumcision ceremony, the newborn is accepted into the Jewish people. Bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies mark the transition that boys and girls make from childhood to adulthood. A wedding is not only a personal rite of passage, but also a ceremony that heralds the start of a new family unit in the community. At funerals and mourning ceremonies, the members of the community part from a person who lived in their midst and help the deceased’s loved ones come to terms with their loss.
