בת מצוה

Yesterday Dave and I went to a Bat Mitzvah for the daughter of a gal that Dave works with. This was the first time I had ever attended anything pertaining to the Jewish culture or Judaism as a religion, and it was really quite amazing. Viewing it from a completely outside the group vantage point and trying to acknowledge and appreciate the artistic aspect of the service, it was very beautiful. There was a rabbi and I believe a 'chanter' who were conducting the service, of which half was in English and half in Hebrew. They sang a lot of prayers in Hebrew and even without having any connection or familiarity at all to the language, it was pretty to listen to the prayers and chants in the service the service. After it was done I wanted to find the woman who had been singing the prayers and tell her how beautiful I thought it was. Cause it really was. Listening songs in different languages can either be annoying or pleasant, and this was definitely the latter. Dave and I both were glad we had gone and although we didn't know the daughter, it was good to support the family. There were a lot of people from Dave's job that had come to support their friend and co-worker.

And just for the benefit of everyone who was like me, according to Wikipedia: In Judaism, Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה, "one (f.) to whom the commandments apply," is one of the terms to describe the coming of age of a Jewish boy or girl.


It was a very good experience and we both enjoyed ourselves and the service. And so I will say to you now, Shalom שָׁלוֹם


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