ABSTRACT
Jews developed a ceremony in the late twelfth- or early thirteenth-century Germany and northern France that in many ways parodied and subverted aspects of Christian rituals and symbols by weaving together elements from earlier Jewish traditions. By doing so, the Jewish rite of passage transformed its constituent parts into an identity-affirming Jewish initiation rite for young boys whom parents or other elders introduced to a life of Torah literacy. Elementary schooling, usually in the form of private tutors, was reserved for boys in medieval Europe, because Jewish literacy was thought of as a tool for male synagogue participation. For most, Jewish education remained minimal, a functional skill such as the ability to read the prayerbook and sometimes from the Torah scroll when called up to do so. The most significant addition is the mention of an additional custom at the end, attributed to Palestinian Jews, according to which Jews would train their young children to fast.
