Bar Mitzvah Videography is something fresh for you since it is the most important day of a child’s life since its the symbolic celebration of a child turning into an adult.
Los Angeles Videographers LLC is professionally using the potential of the developing digital world to capture your special bar mitzvah moment. We will give it a unique look for you to enjoy and cherish for the rest of your life.
Bar Mitzvahs - What to know about the Boy's Adulthood
Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּר מִצְוָה) and Bat Mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּת מִצְוָה; Ashkenazi pronunciation: bas mitzveh) refer to the Jewish coming of age ritual (the word “Bar” is used for a boy, and “Bat” for a girl). The plural is b’nei mitzvah for both boys and mixed sex groups, or b’not mitzvah (Ashkenazi pronunciation: b’nos mitzvah) for girls.
In Judaism, when a boy turns 13, he has all the ability, justices and pledges of a Jewish adult. This is not only limited to the advices of the Torah. Starting from that date, he is expected to partake in synagogue services and take his place in the Jewish community. This landmark is often celebrated with a formality in synagogue, tefillin wearing and a party afterwards. The lad may read from the Torah, lead services, deliver a speech and, amongst other customs, all targeted to demonstrate his newfound manhood.
Bar Mitzvah is an occasion which is quite important to every Jewish group. Not only that it is an important occasion, but those moments are worthwhile. When it comes to Bar Mitzvah moments, the ceremony is a moment worthwhile to be captured in the video camera lens. And we, the Los Angeles Videography LLC, will make sure that it will happen. Your Bar Mirzvah videography will be covered from start to finish.
What does the term means?
Bar mitzvah is Hebrew for “son of commandment.” It is mentioned in the Talmud, which is the main source of Jewish religious law. The context interprets to “an [agent] who is subject to the law” and also denotes to the person, contempt being the name used to refer to the rite of passage.
What happens at the rite of passage when a Jewish boy turns 13?
Bar mitzvah ceremonies changes slightly in some extent between communities and their own cultures. Regardless, the basic foundation remains unchanged. The boy will accept a tefillin, which is a black leather box containing parchments emblazoned with the Shema and other biblical passages.
He will read it openly from the Torah in the synagogue in the traditional Hebrew. The formal procedure will then usually be monitored by a gathering involving food, music, dancing, and such entertainment items. A formal speech is also expected from the boy to mark his new status as a gentleman.
The ceremony is almost always scheduled at a synagogue on the Saturday morning. Torah reading is set on the following day the child’s birthday. However, this date is not always possible to every single person due to scheduling conflicts at synagogues. There are some situations where Bar/Bat Mitzvahs are set for weeks or even months after the birthday.
The event venue is not fixed to a particular location. Additionally, it doesn’t require a rabbi to be present. Some families even travel to Jerusalem to perform this rite. Also, the formal occasion can be held any morning that the Torah is read during services (Monday, Thursday, and Shabbat).
What are the standard procedures?
During the beginning of the event, a traditional procedure is followed. This is where the father is called to the Torah for an aliyah (“going up,” since Torah is read from a raised share of the synagogue) before the congregation.
He says a sanctification that thanking God for releasing him of legal responsibility for any future negative activities of his child. However, this blessing is almost always mislaid in more substantial audiences. Due to this reason, the parents may take this moment to address the child publicly, saying how proud they are of him or her.
The Bar/Bat Mitzvah (the child) is called up, usually to read the final lines of the Torah portion, called the maftir, followed by the Haftarah reading.
There are many situations, especially when the boy or girl doesn’t know Hebrew very well, it’s sufficient to recite the blessing before and after the Torah reading. There are many beliefs saying that it reflects the original ritual of Bar Mitzvah. Remember that reading the Torah is difficult: The text has no written vowels, and so both the pronunciation of words and their melody must be memorized.
There are some special cases however, that the Bar Mitzvah just chants the Haftarah portion for the week, and sometimes members of the family are brought up to share in the Torah reading. This is similar to the Bat Mitzvah.
The Bar Mitzvah follows the maftir with a d‘var Torah, a brief talk in which the child expresses how the readings connects to his life.
However, in the present, this moment is taken to thank his parents and teachers, or a moment for the Bar Mitzvah to declare about who he is or what she believes in.
Later on the child’s d‘var Torah, the parents (often) give a short speech to their son or daughter.
Then the rabbi may give a brief sermon and a blessing to the Bar Mitzvah before the worship service to go on.
After the worship service concludes, the family of the Bar Mitzvah hosts a celebration gathering.
According to some Jewish traditions, they state that some sort of seudat mitzvah (“festive meal”) is required.
Early practice and history
The background of the bar mitzvah, which simply means “son of the commandments,” are ambiguous. This term has never once cropped out in the Hebrew Bible.
Giving the circumstances to Jewish tradition, after children have had a Bar Mitzvah, they are treated as adults from a religious perspective. They are duty-bound to pay attention to the precepts and may lead prayer and other religious services in the family and community. But in the present, circumstances changed quite much. Only a few adolescents stand to make a deep religious commitment. Due to this reason, most teens from non-Orthodox Jewish communities maintain their study of the Torah for several years and then make an attentive choice to become members of the Jewish community.
Ancient rabbis, writing in the compendium of Jewish code, also known as the Talmud, did declare that boys are compelled to fulfill the “mitzvot” – the commandments of Jewish law –starting at the age of 13. But according to many historians of Judaism, they understand the fact that rabbis and commentators have taken the toll with the question, why the age of 13 was actually chosen?
After some deliberation, these Jewish academics settled down on the fact that by the 11th century that it must have been verbally passed on requirement, which was handed down to Moses when he stood atop Mount Sinai. There, Moses acknowledged that not just the Ten Commandments but also, giving to the circumstances to Jewish tradition, all Jewish law, both written and spoken.
The first commandment of bar mitzvah for the Jewish coming-of-age ritual imply to date to a 15th-century rabbi named Menahem “Ziyyoni”.
The bar mitzvah ceremony at that time was a moderate event with two or three major functions. First of all, was an “aliyah.”. This indicated that the bar mitzvah boy was, for the very first time in his life, called up to perform a blessing over the communal readings from the Torah, the divine handwritten scroll, which contains the Five scriptures of Moses. What’s more that, the bar mitzvah boy often performs his first public “discourse,” educating the community and contributing a thank you to his parents and visiting guests.
Modern-day bar mitzvah
The bar mitzvah boy, however, was neither originally planned to read from the Torah, nor chant the Prophetic portion associated with it, known as the Haftarah, nor lead any part of the prayer service, as the present circumstanced do today.
Some of the above components and aspects came later in the era, which was during the 18th and 19th centuries. During this time period, the bar mitzvah ceremony build became a prioritized occasion for the Jewish societies of Europe, North America and the Caribbean. As the conventional Jewish communal authority weakened during the Enlightenment era, newly liberated Jews across the world became citizens with civil and political rights.
There are cases where some parents concern whether their sons would carry on ancestral traditions such as observing Jewish law, studying Jewish texts, marrying within the faith and raising their own children Jewish. This makes them focus on the bar mitzvah – the last religious rite of passage they could control.
By the early 20th century, many bar mitzvah boys publicly pledged “to love, honor and keep the Holy Torah.” The 20th century also witnessed the spread of a parallel ceremony for girls, known as the bat mitzvah, meaning “daughter of the commandments.”
In lands where Jewish life was changing rapidly, families seemingly sought to stave off fears of the dawn. Parents aim, at least temporarily. Perhaps for one fine Saturday morning, to reassure themselves and the community that Jewish learning and life would continue despite the lure of modernity and its many seductions.
Your Bar Mitzvah Celebration is overloaded with surprises and happiness. We will be there but you won’t even know we are filming you.
Some Options You Can Go In A Bar Mitzvah Videography..
- Cinematic Story Telling
- Bar Mitzvah Highlight Videos
- Bar Mitzvah Trailers
- Journalistic and Documentary Approach
Thinking of sharing your happiness virtually with the loved ones ? We do Livestream Videography as well.
