Rabbi Benjamin Goldschmidt

Why Do We Obsess About Bar Mitzvah Torah Readings — When There’s Little Textual Basis For Them?

This is part 1 in a series of articles examining the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ritual in America. Few institutions represent the American Jewish community like the bar and bat mitzvah. It would be surprising, given this cultural emphasis, if this ritual turned out to be almost as modern as the elaborate parties that surround…