Adolescence

The Shalom Center has published a curriculum and ceremony for Bar/ Bat Mitzvah and confirmation-age youth and families, on how the younger and older generations can work together to heal the earth from the dangers of global climate crisis. Below you will find testimonials about it from leaders of Jewish education and action. Below that you will find a coupon for ordering copies of the 60-page "Elijah's Covenant Between The Generations," and below that the Introduction by Rabbis Arthur Waskow and Jeff Sultar.

"Elijah's Covenant" [Brit Eliyahu] looks like an exciting and creative educational venture. Congratulations to the Shalom Center for this positive contribution toward raising environmental awareness among Jewish young people."

ELIJAH'S COVENANT:
BETWEEN THE GENERATIONS
AT BAR/BAT MITZVAH/ CONFIRMATION TIME

[This practice was developed by the "Beyond Oil" project of The Shalom Center.)

Immediately after the completion of the Bat/Bar Mitzvah aliyah and the return of the new bat/bar mitzvah to her/his seat in the congregation, the rabbi, chazan, or other congregational leader asks everyone under 13 to walk up to the front of the congregation and to turn and face those who are 13 or older.

Then the leader says: "At the very end of the books of the prophets, Malachi (3: 23-24) says on behalf of God: "Here! -- I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of that great and awesome [fearful] day of YHWH [the Lord, the Eternal, the Breath of Life, Yahh], so that he will turn the hearts of the parents to the children and the hearts of the children to the parents, lest I come and strike the earth with utter destruction." -- "Hinei! -- Anokhi sholayakh lachem et-Eliyah haNavi lifnei bo yom YHWH hagadol v'ha'nora. V'heyshiv lev avot al banim v'lev banim al avotam pen avo v'hikeiti et-haaretz cherem."

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, 4/14/2004

On the Shabbat immediately before Passover, we traditionally read the last passage of the last of the Prophets, Malachi, that ends:

"Before the coming of the great and awesome day of YHWH [Yahh, the Breathing Spirit o

Rabbi Arthur Waskow

Bar/Bat Mitzvah: Teenagers, Synagogues and Sex

The Talmud defines the real moment of (male) adulthood as the appearance of two pubic hairs, and then says since we don't like to check individually, we name 13 years plus on