בר מצווה

Hebrew

Etymology

From בַּר‎ (bar, “of the age of”, literally “son of”) and מצווה \ מִצְוָה‎ (mitzvá, “mitzvah, commandment”); hence literally “of the age of commandment”. Originally designated the man of age, then the ceremony marking that age, then the teen having said ceremony.

Noun

בר מצווה \ בַּר מִצְוָה • (bar mitsvá) m (plural indefinite בני מצווה \ בְּנֵי מִצְוָה‎, feminine counterpart בת מצווה \ בַּת מִצְוָה‎)

  1. A bar mitzvah; a male Jew who is at least thirteen years old, and therefore considered old enough to be held responsible for following most of Jewish law.
  2. A bar mitzvah; a ceremony marking a male Jew's first aliyah to read the Torah after his thirteenth birthday.
  3. A bar mitzvah; a male Jew who has just turned thirteen and is having or has just had a bar mitzvah ceremony.

See also
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.