Bar mitzvah is not just a party; at the age of thirteen the boy has the obligation to perform the mitzvot.
Ask the rabbi
Q - What does the Bar Mitzvah celebration represent?
A - Bar mitzvah is celebrated at the age of thirteen, for boys, and Bat mitzvah at twelve, for girls. This is because Judaism believes that the latter develop more quickly, being more precocious. Bar mitzvah is not just a party; at the age of thirteen the boy has the obligation to perform the mitzvot. From that day on, he is considered an adult Jew by Jewish Law, like any adult. So, his first obligation is to put on Tefillin, if the Bar Mitzvah falls on a weekday. There is a custom of giving a young man an Aliá la-Torah so that he can recite the blessings of the Torah. This is a way of showing that, from then on, he is part of Minian, he is an adult. Although the party is important, the main thing is the young person's entry into religious adulthood, putting on the Tefillin, climbing the Torah and beginning to fulfill the mitzvot, in general.
Q - What is the reason for Pidion HaBen?
A - Pidion HaBen is done on the thirty-first day after the birth of the child. Pidion is the rescue of the firstborn, and is carried out only under certain conditions: when the child is the first, without a previous miscarriage, male, born by natural birth and his father and mother are not children of Cohen or Levi. The firstborn were predestined to work in the Temple. When G‑d saved them in Egypt, killing the firstborn Egyptians, the firstborn Jews "belonged" to G‑d. In the desert, when participating in the sin of the golden calf, the firstborn were replaced by the Cohanim, priests, but continued to "belong" to G-d. Therefore, the father of the firstborn child needs to redeem him from G‑d's representative, who is a Cohen. He offers Cohen five pieces of silver and gets his son back. This is Pidion HaBen, that is, the ransom of the eldest son.
Q - What is the meaning of the Prophet Eliahu's chair?
A - At the time of Berit Milá, the child is carried by Kvater and then placed in a special chair called Kissê Shel Eliahu Hanavi, that is, the chair of the Prophet Elijah. According to our tradition, the Prophet Elijah is present in each Berit Milah. It is said that, once, he doubted the fidelity of the People of Israel and G-d then told him that he would witness the pact and see that each Jewish family does not forget its covenant with G-d. The Prophet Elijah is also a protective angel who announces good news and is always present at that moment.
Q - What is the origin of circumcision?
A - Circumcision is absolutely mandatory and dates back to the time of Avraam Avinu, being called the Abrahamic Covenant. Every Jewish boy is obliged to perform it because G-d insists that every Jew has a sign on his body, on his skin. Physically, the man will have something to carry with him, reminding him constantly of his Judaism. The symbolism behind this teaches us that man is not perfect and that he needs to improve, and it is necessary to remove the foreskin to improve. Circumcision is done on the eighth day. Our sages say that the fact that it is on the eighth day can be explained through a comparison with a person looking for a King. The King advises him to look for the Queen first. In the same way, each boy, before connecting with the King of all Kings, must first pass through the Queen, who is Shabbat. And to spend a Shabbat before performing the Berit Milah, it must be done on the eighth day.
