Significance of Jewish Rituals
One of the central and significant topics is the existence of Jewish rituals and laws. Like other people, Jews have several distinctive and characteristic rituals that are unique to their nationality. For Jews, adulthood holds great importance, often associated with specific traditions. Laws also play a significant role in the life of the Jewish people, commonly referred to as halakha (De Lange, 2000). For Jews, laws and rituals play an important role, and most of them are embedded in the daily life of Jewish people.
Coming of Age: Bar and Bat Mitzvah Ceremonies
One of the most famous rituals among Jews is circumcision, which is performed exclusively for boys. This ritual marks a union with God and is mandatory for any Jewish male representative. Furthermore, the ritual is a boy’s haircut upon reaching the age of three, and it is not customary to cut a child earlier. Guests also participate in the ritual and are honored to cut a curl from the boy’s head. A well-known ritual is the coming of age or Bar-bat Mitzvah, when a child is gifted with gifts upon reaching adulthood, and this day is magnificently celebrated.
Halakha: Jewish Laws Guiding Daily Life
A well-known Jewish law is a halakha, meaning people must follow the prescribed path. This law includes eating kosher food, lighting Sabbath candles, praying several times a day, and doing things that bring them closer to God (Thiessen, 2020). For those Jews who have observed these laws since childhood, any limits or inconveniences cease to exist with age.
Halakha becomes an integral part of the life of faithful Jews. Critically assessing the rituals and laws of the Jews, it can be concluded that some of them are inconvenient or restrict the normal existence of people. However, these rituals and laws originated long ago, and people continue to observe them regardless.
Customs Surrounding Death and Burial in Judaism
One of the Jewish laws is the obligation to be buried after death. Recent news suggests that a person in life can refuse the honors intended for them after death. These include speeches made in honor of the deceased, inscriptions on tombstones, and other details that praise the dead (Brody, 2021). If a person refuses this during his lifetime, relatives must comply with this person’s request.
References
Brody, S. (2021). Jewish law: May parents waive children’s obligation to mourn for them? The Jerusalem Post. Web.
De Lange, N. (2000). An introduction to Judaism. Cambridge University Press.
Thiessen, M. (2020). Jesus and the forces of death: the gospels’ portrayal of ritual impurity within first-century Judaism. Baker Academic.