Traditions and Celebrations for the Bat Mitzvah [Hardcover]

Ora Wiskind Elper (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9657108527 | ISBN-13: 978-9657108529 | Publication Date: April 15, 2005

Since the Bat-Mitzvah celebration is not founded in ancient tradition, much confusion surrounds it. In Traditions and Celebrations for the Bat Mitzvah, rabbis and experienced educators, learned women and men, consider the occasion of bat mitzvah from a variety of perspectives legal, philosophical, pedagogical and personal. These essays offer reflections on the nature and form of the event itself, rabbinic responsa, source materials for study in preparation for the acceptance of mitzvot, and descriptions of existing bat mitzvah preparatory programs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I found much to learn from these chapters. The anthology is well-thought out, and makes me wish I had had access to such a book when my eldest was preparing for her Bat Mitzvah many moons ago. --Susan Landau-Chark Women in Judaism

Right from the start, I found this book of essays to be both enlightening and informative. Keeping an open mind to halachic responsa helped me to understand this fairly new tradition of the Orthodox world. Containing essays by scholars and educators of MaTaN, the Women's Institute for Torah Studies in Jerusalem, this book showcases the opinions and rulings of many well-known Torah scholars and rabbis concerning the Israeli phenomenon of Bat Mitzvah. Many of the essays clearly disavow any similarities to Reform Bat Mitzvah. The emphasis, we read, is on study and commitment to the mitzvot, minus the usual male obligatory rituals of Bar Mitzvah... I would recommend this book for all Day School/Yeshivot libraries. Synagogue libraries may also find this book a welcomed addition to their collections. --Tamra Gerson, AJL Newsletter

This wide-ranging anthology covers halachik and philosophical issues surrounding the Bat Mitzvah theme; it will provide information and stimulate discussion. The writers thoughtfully address women's aspirations, bringing scholarship to bear on their subjects. Traditional sources and modern perspectives are set in vivid relationship with one another. These effectively extend the common conception of women's religious and social roles in Jewish law and in the Rabbinic imagination. --Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, Author of Genesis: The Beginning of Desire and Exodus: The Particulars of Rapture

About the Author

Ora Wiskind Elper has an M.A. in Comparative Literature and Ph.D. in Hebrew Literature from Hebrew University, Jerusalem. She teaches Jewish thought at Michlalah College and Touro College, Jerusalem. Her publications include Tradition and Fantasy in the Tales of Reb Nahman of Bratslav (State University of New York Press, 1998) and co-editor of Torah of the Mothers: Contemporary Jewish Women Read Classical Jewish Texts (Urim Publications, 2000).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Urim Publications (April 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9657108527
• ISBN-13: 978-9657108529
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,482,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly informative and memorable essays, January 15, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Traditions and Celebrations for the Bat Mitzvah (Hardcover)

Ably compiled and expertly edited by Ora Wiskind Elper, Traditions And Celebrations For The Bat Mitzvah is a very highly recommended compilation of truly informative and memorable essays written by rabbis and experienced educators concerning the Jewish occasion of bat mitzvah from halakhic, philosophical, pragmatic, pedagogical, and personal perspect-ives. An excellent source for study in preparation for the acceptance of mitzvot, Traditions And Celebrations For The Bat Mitzvah also offering descriptions of existing bat mitzvah preparatory programs, discussion of common questions concerning the tradition, and much more.