The Jewish Bar-Mitzvah - Rabbi Akiva Fox

there are 13 principles of faith in the Jewish belief 13 that's two hands and then three more fingers to make it easier for those of us who are mathematically challenged such as myself 13 principles of faith now it's an interesting number 13 where to come from so the easiest way of looking at it is only just randomly came out there was 13 then we're gonna do 12 and then they say hey you know I'm maybe we should stick in one more like you know Declaration of Independence all those you know the Louisville Sluggers were sitting around the Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and all the other ones and they're like you know what way whoa whoa whoa I got one more clause i want to add in oh ok hold it we go i once saw this cartoon that oh you know they were all sitting around and said okay with the declaring our independence on july second that's independence day so then the other guy goes oh wait a minute wait a minute july second i have a dentist appointment okay how about july third a third no no I'm sorry I'm not gonna be able to make it i have an appointment at the doctor no okay how about July fifth no July fifth were busy with something else ok it's July 4th that's not how it works in Judaism Judaism everything is there for a purpose there's a reason there's a specific goal that and task that you're supposed to understand from everything that exists so the number 13 is not random it's there for a reason there are 13 specifically 13 principles of faith one of the reason is because the gamma tree of the numerical value of Ahava excuse me of Ahava of love and of Akkad and of one is 13 and the reason that is is because one ethin and 13 are really the same all these 13 principles are all one circle but they all revolve around one thing but there's another reason we have something in Judaism called a Bar Mitzvah now the joke goes then nowadays when you go to a bar mitzvah there's more bar than Mitzvah because everybody's getting drunk and you have the New York Knicks and the chicago bulls or whatever the little bar mitzvah boys favorite basketball team and they all come in and they dance and they party and they have drinks and then everybody hang a pinata and everybody has Candis but that's not the essence of a Bar Mitzvah the essence of a Bar Mitzvah is 13 years until a child has matured into manhood maturing into manhood means he becomes what's known in Hebrew as a bar das he becomes intellectually capable of accomplishing all the commandments that a sham wants him to do now he is mature enough and intellectual enough to understand that he has a tough kid he has a purpose in this world that he's here for a reason that God wants and demands something from him there comes a time that not when you're a little child because you didn't develop that intellect enough you haven't developed the maturity enough to get to that level it happens over a gradual period until 13 at 13 the rabbi's have told us that is when a person becomes an ish a man he has developed maturity he has developed intellectually enough to be considered a Jew without that he's a Jew but he's a minor G he's not the fully capable Juliet that doesn't mean we look down on him that doesn't mean that until his Bar Mitzvah he's considered neglected or degenerate no it means that there's a level that a person has to be to reach the ultimate jus the ultimate capable jus that is called 13 well it's the same thing when it comes to our beliefs and our faith 13 principles make up the man they make a person with these ideas and with these beliefs they form and formulate the intellectual mature Jewish mind that with them he can be considered the fully capable jus interesting the Rumba maimonides tells us something interesting there's a Mishnah the Mishnah says coleus Royal ahem shayla column above every Jew has a portion in heaven it doesn't mean you could do whatever you want and saying I'm kidding I'm rest assured i got my place in heaven you're gonna get there and you're going to be a blade of grass it's not it trust me it's not worth it so the rambam says of every Jew has a place in heaven and there are those who don't have a place in heaven and those who don't are the ones who don't believe in the 13 principles of faith so wait a minute that doesn't make sense every Jew has a place but there are some who don't but every Jew has a place is it every Jew we're not every Jew you saw L has a place if you don't believe in the 13 principles of faith then you're not a useful it doesn't mean you're not Jewish what am I you're not Jewish but all got my circumcision but my mom is Jewish but I eat gefilte fish and cholent yes you act like a Jew but you are not the fully developed jus you have not matured into the intellectually capable jus that is supposed to use his knowledge his talents and capabilities and the gifts that he has given to further him and to propel him into the future that type of Israel that type of Julian are so a person when we have the 13 principles of faith they are very much like the 13 years of maturity of gradual growth intellectual growth and maturity that a Bar Mitzvah boy has because with these principles a person will grow a person will come closer to being that wonderful Israel that capable that person that can conceptualize and internalize God and all he wants and what he's here for and if he doesn't have these principles of faith and he will not be able to function so as a Israel so these 13 principles are not just random facts that were gathered and they happen to come out like you know the thirteen steps are the 12 steps of the AAA program whoever thought up Bill W wherever it was the thought up of the alcoholics anonymous program says you know what I got 12 13 now we could put that in the 12th one that's not how it is with us in God's anonymous and Jews anonymous j/a we don't have to be anonymous we have to be out there this is my famous saying we don't need passive Jews we need massive juice we need Jews that go out there and make a big deal we need Jews that go out there with power with passion with excitement with fire go out there and be somebody that jus that passionate jus that massive Jew is specifically when a person has reached a certain level of maturity he has accumulated a certain amount of knowledge he has accumulated a certain amount of awareness certain facts certain parts of belief certain an understanding that will propel him into the future as a fully functioning his royal as a fully functioning jus this is the goal that we are headed to we want to learn these 13 principles of faith so that we can develop ourselves so that we can grow so that we can accumulate all the knowledge and all the important beliefs that we have and that we are supposed to have and by learning them and internalizing them we will better ourselves both as people and as good Jews I once met a lady in Los Angeles she told me she's an Irish Catholic but her mother always used to tell her maid ol top we're all non-jews but we can all be better juice I don't know if that's the Irish accents use it for british-irish same thing if you wear a green hat maybe it will sound better but you can all we can all be better juice if you want to be the best you be all that you can be you need to be mature you need to grow need to gradually grow into just like that bar mitzvah boy 13 years he's accumulated a certain amount of maturity and intellect so to these 13 principles of faith will help us grow we'll slowly gradually help us understand what we're here for what we're here to do and that we as intellectually mature Jews will understand there's a god there's a purpose and there's something in it for me you