by Donna Jacobs Sife A friend of mine living in Washington told me a story. When her son’s bar mitzvah was approaching one of her

The Cadillacs were all lined up in the driveway. Minks of many colours were on display. The caterer was the best that money can buy.

“When was your barmitzvah?” “What was your barmitzvah sidra?” These are questions which occasionally Jewish men ask one another. In some coded way, we compare

ONE TRADITION, DIFFERENT CUSTOMS The Ashkenazic experience by Rabbi David Rogut The source of the bar mitzvah celebration is based on Halacha LeMoshe MiSinai, a

He flashed a wicked little smile just before he said it; one unforgettable sentence that Mick dared to include in his bar mitzvah speech. As

Bat Mitzvah BAR MITZVAH Bar Mitzvah is the Hebrew term for ‘son of the commandment’. It refers to the time from which a Jewish male

Fundamentally, Judaism is a happy and optimistic faith, yet it recognises that there are times when sadness overtakes a person and a process of mourning

According to the Torah every effort must be made to preserve the sacred relationship of marriage: making peace between a husband and wife is considered

In traditional Jewish literature marriage is actually called ‘kiddushin’, which translates as ‘sanctification’ or ‘dedication’. The word ‘sanctification’ indicates that what is happening is not

Pidyon Haben is translated into English as the ‘Redemption of the Firstborn’. In the Book of Numbers 18:15-16 we read: “The first issue of the

Throughout the generations, at the age of eight days, every male child must be circumcised. The Jewish ceremony of circumcision is known as a brit

Naming a child is a chance to bestow an identity upon him or her since every name has a meaning. There are two different customs