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Bar Kokba Bar Mizwah

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

at Gaza, and the remainder were transported to Egypt ("Chronicon Alexandrinum," 234th Olympiad, in Mtinter, ib. p. 113; Jerome on Zech. xi. 5; Jer. xxxi. 15). Some were fortunate enough to be able to flee either to Asia Minor (Justin, "Dialogus cum Tryphone," i.), or even to Armenia (Lam. R. i.

father's sins (Midrash Zutta, Ruth, ed. Buber, p. 47; Yalk., Ruth, 600); and, according to some, the

Buber, p. 77). The subsequent era was one of danger (" sha'at hasekanah") for the Jews of Palestine, during which the most important ritualistic observances were forbidden; for which reason the Talmud states (Geiger's "Jild. Zeit." i. 199, ii. 126; Weiss, "Dor," ii. 131;

religious maturity takes place

15, ed.

"Rev. Et. Juives, " xxxii. 41) that certain regulations were passed to meet the emerThe Age of gency. It was also called the age of Perthe edict (" gezerah ") or of persecution secution.

("shemad," Shab. 60a; Cant. R.

The ten martyrs,

ii.

5).

glorified in legend, in

those days suffered death for their faith; for it was the aim of the government to destroy the very essence of Judaism by preventing the study of the Law. Other prohibitions were promulgated concerning the Sabbath, circumcision, tefillin, and mezuzah, and constituted a mass of ordinances usually embraced in the term " the Hadrianic persecution. positively inhuman prohibition was issued which prevented the Jews from walking in the vicinity of Jerusalem, so that they could not even pour out their The former plan of Hadrian griefs on hallowed soil. was now also put into execution after the plow had been drawn over the Temple mountain, Jerusalem became a pagan city under the name of " jElia Capi-

A



history ol the Bar Kokba war was written by the rhetor Autonius Julianus, whose work, however, has been lost. An extract from the report of Ariston of Pella is given in the Hist. Eccl. iv. 6 of Eusebius. But the principal source of information is the Hist. Bom. lxix. ch. 12-14 of Dio Cassius, while the Chronieou Alexandrinum and the work of Moses of Chorene are also valuable. The Jewish sources are rich in information, but should be consulted with caution ; and this applies also to the Samaritan Booh of Joshua, ed. Juynboll, Leyden, 1848. Among modern authors, Miinter, Eenan. Gregorovius, Jost, and Graetz are noteworthy ; see also Derenbourg, Essai sur VHistoire et la Geographic de la Palestine, pp.415 et sea., Paris, 1867; Schiirer, Gesch. 1. 583 et sea.; Mommsen, R6misehe Gesch. v. 544 et seq.;

Bibliography



The

Die Tage Trojans und Hadrians, Giitersloh, Derenf. d. Wissenschaft d. Judenthums Quelques Notes sur la Guerre de Bar Kozeba, in Melanges de VEcole des Hautes Etudes, Paris, 1878. Schlatter,

Magazin



trourg,

S.

0.

Kr.

upon the son only

until he has reached his " perek "

maturity (Toscf., 'Eduy.

i.



that

is,

the.

age of

14).

The solemnization

of the attainment of the age of on the first Sabbath of the fourteenth year, when the Bar Mizwah is called up (see 'Aliyaii) to read a chapter from the weekly portion of the Law, either as one of the seven men or as the eighth, where it is customary to read the closing chapter and the Haftaraii and if he be unable to read, to recite at least the benediction before and after the reading, while the father offers silently the rather strange benediction " Blessed be He who has taken the responsibility for this child's doing from me " (see Shulhan 'Aruk, Orah a yy> ccxxv. 2, note of Isserles, and "Magen Abraham," cclxxxii., note 18). This event is celebrated by joyous festivity, the Bar Mizwah boy delivering on this occasion a learned discourse or oration at the table before the invited guests, who offer him presents, while the rabbi or teacher gives him his blessing, accompanying it at times with an address (see Celebration Solomon Luria, "Yam Shel Sheloof Event, moh " to B. K. vii. 37, and other au;



m

H

thorities in

"Magen Abraham,"

Low's "Lebensalter," pp. 210-217, forth he

410-412).

reckoned among the adults to

is

I.e.

>



Hencefill

the

Minyan, or required number of ten (Shulhan 'Aruk, Orah Hayyim, lv. 9 et seq.). Regarding the time

when

tolina.

1897

father's merit confers benefits

the boy's initiation into his religious duties

is

commence, when he is to begin putting on the tefillin, or when to fast on the Day of Atonement, see Yoma 82cs Shulhan 'Aruk, Orah Hayyim, xxxvii. 3, Leopold Low (I.e.) has shown that the Bar cxvi. 2). Mizwah rite had become a fixed custom only in the fourteenth century in Germany. to



Nevertheless there are many indications, overlooked by Low, that its origin must be sought in remote antiquity. Samuel ha-Katan, at the close of the first century, gives in his saying on the Ages of Man in the Baraita attached to Abot v. 21 (see Mahzor Vitry, p. 549) the completion of the thirteenth year as the' age for the commandments ("le-mizwot ") and the commentary to the passage refers to Levi, the son of Jacob, who, at thirteen, is called "ish"(=man; Gen. xxxi v. 25). Simon Zemah Duran, in his "Magen Abot" to the Baraita, quotes a

BAB KOZIBA. See Bar Kokba. BAR MIZWAH (literally, "the

son of command," " man of duty ") Hebrew term applied to a boy on completing his thirteenth year, who has then reached the age of religious duty and responsibility. The name " Bar Mizwah " occurs in B. M. 96«, where

applied to every grown Israelite but in the now used it can not be clearly traced earlier than the fourteenth century, the older rabbinical " term being " gadol " (adult) or " bar 'onshin (son of punishment) that is, liable to punishReligious ment for his own misdoings; see Rashi

it is



sense



The 456, on the word D'&WIJ^age of puberty being attained at about thirteen the fourteenth year, the boy that is over or of years of age has the power of making vows consecrating property to holy purposes (Nid. v. 6) whereas a he is held to account for his own sins, account of his child before that age may die on Maturity. Nid.

Midrash interpreting the Hebrew word 1T (= "this") in Isa. xliii. 21—" This people have I formed for my" set forth "] my self, they shall pronounce [A. V.

"—as referring by its numerical value to those This seems to that have reached the age of thirteen. imply that at the time the Midrash was composed the Bar Mizwah publicly pronounced a benediction on the occasion of his entrance upon maturity. This is confirmed by the Midrash Hashkem praise

How It

Griinhut's "Sefer ha-Likkutim," " The heathen when he begets a son consecrates him to idolatrous practises the Israelite has his son circumcised and the rite of pidyon ha -ben performed and as soon as he becomes of age he brings him into the synagogue and school (' bet ha-keneset and bet ha-mid-

Originated,

(see

i.

3a)





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