Bar and Bat Mitzvah the commandments . . ." The Talmud gives 13 as the age at which a boy's vows are legally binding, and states that this is a result of his being a "man", as required in . The term "bar mitzvah", in the sense it is now used, cannot be clearly traced earlier than the 14th century, the older rabbinical term being "gadol" (adult) or "bar 'onshin" (legally responsible for own misdoings). Many sources indicate that the ceremonial observation of a bar mitzvah developed in the Middle Ages, however, there are extensive earlier references to thirteen as the age of majority
Mitzvah The collection is part of the larger Jewish law or "halakha". The opinions of the Talmudic rabbis are divided between those who seek the purpose of the "mitzvot" and those who do not question them. The latter argue that if the reason for each "mitzvah" could be determined, people might try to achieve what they see as the purpose of the "mitzvah", without actually performing the "mitzvah" itself ("lishmah"), which would become self-defeating. The former believe that if people were to understand the reason and the purpose for each "mitzvah", it would actually help them to observe and perform the