entire 150-year history of the BMJA, and the movement was actually founded for this very purpose, to bring
together Jewish believers who were feeling isolated.
After giving their personal stories, the panel attempted to answer a written question someone submitted
about two hours earlier. The question was "What can we do for people aged 15-20 to avoid losing them?‖
Most of them didn't have any clear answer, although they tried really hard because they knew how important
the question was. One of them said the family is very important, and there needs to be a strong father figure,
but he didn't consider it to be a complete answer. Finally there was a girl who talked about the church youth
group she had been involved in, from the age of 14-17. The reason this group survived is because the
church leaders kept their distance and allowed the young people to run it themselves, but at the same time
gave the assurance that they were available to offer help and advice when needed. This worked well
because the young people were made to feel that they were being treated like adults and the group
flourished. Then, unfortunately, a new preacher came who didn't have the same hands-off approach. Instead
he tried to run the group himself and it disintegrated.
After the meeting someone asked her a bit more about the group and wanted to know if they had any
charismatic characters among the young people, or were they just ordinary type of folk. She said they did
have the active support of people who had recently been to University and came back; so there were some
capable, educated people in the group—but the older church members stayed away.
The answer came to light, but to implement it, the church needed a complete revolution in its thinking. In
many churches, not even the adults are allowed to organise things themselves—never mind the young
people.
After some discussion, they came to the conclusion that the hands-off approach would work, but only if the
young people had been taught something already throughout their entire childhood up to the age of 13.
This brings us to the Jewish idea of Bar-Mitzvah. When a Jewish child reaches a certain level of
understanding of the Bible, usually at the age of about 13, they are asked to read a passage of the Bible in
the synagogue, and then they go out for a meal to have a celebration. This is their coming of age ceremony,
so that they participate in the congregation as adults and not as children. Of course, the whole process
depends on the quality of regular instruction that they are given throughout their childhood. If the instruction
is irregular and fragmented, they will not be capable of a Bar-Mitzvah at the appropriate age; and if it is left
until too late, it becomes meaningless. There is no point giving a Bar-Mitzvah to someone aged 25.
The reason why many churches are unable to run youth groups for people aged 15-20, even with the hands-
off approach, is because they have never given regular instruction up to the age of 13. Instead, they have
conducted social experiments and played political games with each other, so that the youth work gets
neglected. If they tried the hands-off approach with the 15-20 age group, there would certainly be chaos;
because you can't expect people to organise themselves to do something constructive if they have never
been taught anything.
The solution, therefore, is to teach them regularly up to the age of 13, the "Bar-Mitzvah" age, and then treat
them as adults and let them organise themselves.
Overview: Why Lifecycle Rituals?
The Jewish life-cycles are the rhythm of Jewish life from birth to death. They are the cultural continuity of
their people. They give them their identity and their beliefs to pass down from generation to generation.
Jewish lifecycle ceremonies and rituals bring about transformation; and they celebrate, reflect, and channel
changes that are taking place.
When a baby is born, the circumcision ceremony functions to reinforce his identity for his family and
community. A child reaches adolescence; the ritual reminds him and his congregation of his new
responsibilities. A couple falls in love, the ceremony under a wedding canopy transforms them from mere
lovers to committed, covenantal partners. When a person dies, the preparation of his body for burial
expresses core beliefs of his people among them; that they are responsible for deep acts of caring for each
other; that the human body is to be treated with sanctity; and that the transition from life to death has
meaning.
By and large, since the destruction of the ancient Temples with their functioning priesthood, Judaism does
not have ―sacraments‖ that must be carried out only by authorised individuals, and without which a person
cannot be considered part of a covenantal community. A Jewish boy uncircumcised is still fully a Jew (albeit