Lifecycle

Childbirth is discussed throughout the Jewish textual tradition in a variety of contexts. The charge to procreate is the first commandment in the Torah, and painful childbirth features as a punishment for Eve's role in eating from the tree of knowledge. Rabbinic sources discuss permitting otherwise prohibited actions for the sake of aiding childbirth, and sources of Jewish thought analyze the symbolic significance of the birthing process.

Jewish circumcision dates back to the book of Genesis, in which God instructs Abraham to circumcise himself and the males of his household as a marker of the covenant between God and God's people. God also instructs that Abraham's future descendants circumcise male babies at the age of eight days, a practice Jews have observed through the generations.

A bar mitzvah is a coming of age ceremony, traditionally marked for Jewish boys at the age of 13. At this age, rabbinic sources indicate that boys become obligated in the commandments and accountable for their own actions. The practice of marking this transition with a religious ceremony can be traced back to the medieval period.

A bat mitzvah is a coming of age ceremony, marked for Jewish girls at age 12 in Orthodox communities and age 13 in Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist communities. Rabbinic sources indicate that at age 12, girls become obligated in commandments and accountable for their own actions. The practice of marking this transition with a religious ceremony for girls has traces in 19th-century Jewish literature, took root in the United States with the first public bat mitzvah in 1922, and started becoming more commonplace in the 1970s.

Education is a value discussed throughout the Jewish textual tradition. Various biblical narratives demonstrate the significance of transmitting values to the next generation. Rabbinic sources analyze the parental obligation to educate one's children, as well as the development of communal educational frameworks.

A ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract, outlining the rights and responsibilities between spouses. It is an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage.

In Jewish texts and thought, it is God who grants fertility — whether agricultural bounty or children — through blessings and rain. Jewish texts and traditions include narratives of families struggling to conceive children, God opening wombs, prayers for rain, and more.

Conversion refers to the process through which non-Jews may become Jewish. The concept is often associated with the biblical character Ruth, a woman of Moabite origin who is described as "taking refuge under the wings of God's presence." Rabbinic sources see this as an indicator of Ruth's conversion and interpret details about the laws of conversion from Ruth's story.

Though the Torah gives few procedural details, under certain circumstances, it does allow for divorce. The laws of divorce are developed in detail throughout the rabbinic period and in later halakhic literature. To this day, rabbis and Jewish leaders continue to grapple with the intricacies and consequences of these laws. And in that marriage is an oft-used metaphor for the relationship between God and the Jewish people, so too does divorce appear as an oft-rejected possibility.

The concept that a body returns to the earth after death is rooted in one of the opening narratives of the Torah, as God tells Adam that he will return to the dust. Stories of people burying loved ones feature throughout the Torah--as when Abraham buries his wife Sarah--and rabbinic sources extrapolate that there is an obligation to bury the dead from Deuteronomy 21:23. Sources throughout the Jewish textual tradition discuss the importance of burial, its laws and customs, and its spiritual significance.

Death is a concept discussed throughout Jewish literature, beginning with the second chapter of the Torah, in the context of the world's creation. Sources throughout the generations grapple with the concept of mortality, responding emotionally to death, and the laws and customs that surround death and mourning.

Marriage is an institution and value discussed throughout Jewish sources, which tell stories of Jewish marriages, analyze the multitude of legal aspects involved in marriage ceremonies, and consider the broader significance of this unique union between two souls.

Mothers feature throughout Jewish contexts in a variety of contexts. The Bible, for example, tells of the matriarchs in the book of Genesis and other maternal figures. Rabbinic sources discuss potential roles mothers can fulfill and the obligations of children toward their mothers.

Jewish customs and practices surrounding the death of an immediate family member – like burial and tearing one’s clothing – often have roots in biblical texts. Later Jewish works elaborate on how to act during different stages of mourning – before burial, the week following the burial, the month following death, and the year following death – and how practices may differ depending on the mourner's relationship to the deceased. Many Jewish mourning practices embody values such as honoring the dead and elevating their souls.

Parents feature throughout Jewish contexts in a variety of contexts. The Bible, for example, tells of the patriarchs and matriarchs in the book of Genesis and other parental figures. Rabbinic sources discuss parental responsibilities and obligations of children to their parents.

Pidyon HaBen ("redemption of the son") is a ceremony in which a 30-day old firstborn son is redeemed by transferring monetary objects to a kohen. The commandment is rooted in Exodus 13:12-15, which ties the practice to the Exodus story and God's sparing of Israelite firstborns when Egyptian firstborns were killed, and Numbers 18:15-16.

A yahrzeit is the annual anniversary commemoration of a person's death. The term is Yiddish and literally means anniversary.

The Jewish calendar is a lunarsolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar and solar calendar. It consists of 12 months of 29 or 30 days that begin around the time of the new moon, with an extra lunar month added every two or three years. Sources throughout the Jewish textual tradition discuss the development, significance, and legal aspects of the calendar.

Having a home means that one has a place in which to fulfill such obligations as welcoming guests, placing mezuzot on their door posts, and commemorating the destructions of the Temples. Jewish tradition uses the idea of “home” as a metaphor as well, likening a wife to a home, and imagining God as dwelling in God’s home(s), the Tabernacle — and then the Temples. Peace in one's home, shalom bayit, is also a priority.