J.4 - Religion and the Family; Rites of Passage

Question 1

Rites of Passage meaning

Answer 1

Ceremonies after the birth of a child

Question 2

Brit Milah

Answer 2

The name of the ceremony in which circumcision takes place fulfilling the covenant of circumcision commanded by Abraham and his descendants

Question 3

Bar Mitzvah

Answer 3

Son of the commandments ( The first sabbath after the boy’s 13th birthday, he reads the Torah in the service for the first time which he preps in advance by practicing his reading

Question 4

Bat Mitzvah

Answer 4

Daughter of the Commandments ( Orthodox Jews sometimes mark a girl’s Bat mitzvah with a family meal and small religious gifts and the girls will often read a special prayer. These celebrations happen at home)

Question 4

Importance of Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Answer 4

.It is when a Jew becomes an adult in religious terms
.Preparing for it carefully brings you closer to God and the community
. It is when they are expected to strictly begin following Jewish Law and take full responsibility for doing so themselves

Question 5

Mohel

Answer 5

a trained professional who carries out circumcision

Question 6

Ceremonies to do after a baby is born (3)

Answer 6

Naming ceremony for boys and girls
Brit Milah for boys
Redemption of the firstborn son for some Orthodox Jews

Question 7

Bat Chayill

Answer 7

means ‘woman of valour’ and is an Orthodox tradition for girls who don’t do Bat Mitzvah and is a community ceremony which symbolizes the girl becoming subject to Jewish law

Question 8

Kiddushin

Answer 8

means ‘sanctification’, the betrothal ceremony

Question 9

Nissuin

Answer 9

the wedding proper when the couple stands under the Huppah which is symbolic of the home they will build

Question 10

Sheva Brachot

Answer 10

means ‘seven blessings’ and is recited by the groom when he receives a cup of wine from the rabbi. It summarises the purpose and meaning of marriage in Judaism

Question 11

Ketubah

Answer 11

a formal marriage contract that is read after Kiddushin. It sets out the husband’s obligations to his wife and must be signed by two witnesses

Question 12

marriage

Answer 12

the legal joining of two people, in religious terms for Jews it is the uniting of a man and a woman. They are elevated to a higher spiritual level before God during the wedding

Question 13

Hevrash Kadishah

Answer 13

a ‘Holy Society’ who prepare the body for burial. It follows a mitzvot about purification to prepare the dead for their final resting place

Question 14

When does mourning in Judaism go until and what happens afterward

Answer 14

It goes for 1 year and afterward every year on the anniversary a candle is lit for 24 hours by the children of the dead, this is called Yahrzeit. Sons will also recite Kaddish

Question 15

Kaddish

Answer 15

a prayer said during some mourning periods that praises God and asks for peace

Question 16

Why are gravestones important?

Answer 16

a mitzvot commands that the dead are not forgotten
there is an unveiling ceremony, either when the gravestone is placed or on the first anniversary of their death