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Q: At a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, during a candle lighting ceremony what do each of the 13 candles represent?
A: The custom of having thirteen candles lit by various friends and relatives at a Bar or Bat Mitzvah party is an invention of the American caterers of the l950's who wanted some ceremony to take place at the catering hall in order to give the party more importance. It has no religious history or halachic significance and a person is Bar/Bat Mitzvah even when this ceremony does not take place. The thirteen I am sure was taken from the traditional age at which a boy is recognized as an adult, vis a vis responsibility for the fulfillment of the mitzvot (commandments)- this is mentioned already in the Mishnah. |
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