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 goreret mitzvah is by habit, in which a person becomes accustomed to performing a mitzvah regularly. The contrast to this belief is called "aveira goreret aveira" in which the commission of an "aveira" (sin) leads to another sin. The phrase has often been used in songs for children to encourage the performance of good works. One popular song, written by Andy Vogel in 1986, was recorded on the Reform Jewish movement's "NFTY at 50" album, and is widely sung in the Reform Jewish movement. Mitzvah goreret mitzvah The Hebrew phrase mitzvah goreret mitzvah, averah goreret averah (Hebrew: מצווה גוררת מצווה; עברה גוררת