Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Other

Going up to the Torah before a Bar Mitzvah:
Sometimes for various reasons parents of a Bar Mitzvah boy wish to have the boy go up to the Torah before he has actually reached his thirteenth birthday. Is it possible to accommodate their wishes?
Answer: If a case of great need, a child may go up for Maftir when close in age to Bar- Mitzvah but before actually reaching thirteen, Bar Mitzvah, and he may also read from the Torah. However, he should not read the entire Parasha before having reached Bar-Mitzvah.

There are no hard and fast rules about white shirts. In general, a white shirt is considered to be a modest but respectable garment, and a person should wear clothing that is respectable.


Also, part of the day is spent standing in prayer in front of the Creator, and this certainly warrants respectable attire.


In any case, the main thing is not the external garments, but rather the spiritual ones, namely, a person’s thought, speech, and deed. Physical clothing is only a means to the end, the goal being purity of spiritual garments.

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