I am often puzzled as to why the Aramaic word “bar” is applied instead of the Hebrew “ben” (son) to define the mitzvah of a male child’s Jewish maturity.
To define the age of responsibility for a female child, the Hebrew word “bat” (daughter) is applied. Would it not be appropriate to apply the parallel form — that is, “ben” for young men?
My initial supposition was that the use of “bar” in bar mitzvah was applied by Talmudic scholars residing in Babylon in and after the first century C.E. because they became comfortable using the Aramaic language that surrounded them in common discourse and in their Talmudic discussions. An example of the application of “bar” for son is the well-known name of the resistant fighter Simon bar Kokba.
But only in relatively recent history was the custom of bar mitzvah implemented, according to the detailed description provided by Rabbi Michael Hilton in his book “Bar Mitzvah, a History,” published in 2014. He cites that this ritual, which marks a serious transition in a boy’s Jewish life, first took place in the 13th century C.E. in Normandy, France. The custom of the Bar Mitzvah spread from France to Germany and eventually became a standard and important procedure in the life of every Jewish community.
Rabbi Hilton writes of four aspects of a bar mitzvah: first, a boy’s age of 13 years and a day; second, the customs and responsibilities of the young male who is now counted in a quorum of prayer, his permission to read from the Torah, and his participation in his bar mitzvah service; third, his general ethical responsibilities as an adult Jew; and surprisingly fourth, the development of the bar mitzvah party, which Rabbi Hilton reports became more extravagant throughout the ages.
Regarding my personal query of why not “ben” mitzvah instead of “bar” mitzvah, wouldn’t it now be appropriate in celebrating the Jewish maturity of our male children to use the Hebrew form “ben” for males, as we do in using the Hebrew word “bat” for females?
Harris Winitz, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. He resides in Kansas City, Missouri, and recently wrote “Comprehension Strategies in the Acquiring of a Second Language.”
