Dennis Prager explains that bar mitzvah is a rabbinic tradition, not in the Torah itself. The rabbis chose 13, possibly because it marks puberty and when someone becomes morally responsible for their own actions.
Why are they considered men in the eyes of God when they're only 13 years old? And I'm curious, how do you think this ancient tradition applies to modern-day times? A 13-year-old is a man?
Well, let me just make one little correction. The Torah does not speak about bar mitzvah. This is post-Torah Judaism.
So the rabbis—
it's ancient, but it's rabbinic. It's a great institution. Why did they choose 13? I don't know. I don't know. As opposed to 14? I mean, whatever age is chosen, We could ask the same question.
Does it have to do with puberty?
Presumably. I think it's great. I think at 13 you're old enough to understand you can no longer blame your parents for bad things you do. It's up to you. It's a great teaching. Arguably even greater today than in the past, when at 13 some people became kings of their countries. We have prolonged childhood with the term adolescence. I'm not sure that existed in the 19th century. Let alone earlier. At 13, you should know shoplifting is wrong, okay? And if you do shoplift, you can't blame your parents, let alone murder or any of the other violations of the Ten Commandments. It's a great teaching.
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