Jewish life cycle
Pregnancy
The baby eats what the mother eats and is greatly influenced by the mother's experiences: what she hears, says, and what happens to her. Even the environment where the mother is located has an effect on the child—whether it is calm and relaxed or the opposite.
This is an appropriate time for a mother to increase in mitzvot, primarily reciting Psalms, giving tzedakah, and eating kosher. A mezuzah provides general protection for mothers during this time.
Some have the custom of having the father open the Aron HaKodesh during a Torah reading while his wife is pregnant. It is also customary to avoid announcing the pregnancy until the fifth month.
Birth
On the day of birth, the fetus becomes a person. It now has its own identity and is no longer just a part of the mother. Each time the day of birth occurs in the Jewish calendar, it is a moment of personal renewal worthy of celebration and cherishment.
It is customary to recite each day the psalm corresponding to the person's age plus one. Someone in their twelfth year recites psalm 13, and so on. The psalm changes to the next one on their birthday.
It is an auspicious day to accept a new mitzvah to advance in life and one's relationship with Hashem. Men make an aliyah to the Torah (on their birthday and/or the preceding Shabbat). Additional tzedakah is given, and a gathering with friends is organized to discuss Torah and make good resolutions for the future to improve in serving God.
Circumcision
It is an eternal covenant with God, which is inscribed on the very skin of the person. Women, the Talmud says, are born with the Brit already made.
It is performed on the eighth day after birth, if the baby is well enough, by an expert Mohel (a person trained to perform circumcisions). A festive meal follows the Brit.
During the ceremony, the baby is given a Hebrew name. For girls, the name is given at the first possible Torah reading (read on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays).
They asked for Ben
Originally the firstborn were the priests in the Jewish people but, from the sin of the Golden Calf, God chose the descendants of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi, to be the priests.
From that moment on, there is a Mitzvah to redeem all firstborn males born to Israelite fathers and mothers, that is, neither of whom belong to the tribes of Levi and Cohen.
This mitzvah applies only to males, only if they were born by natural childbirth and if they did not have sisters previously nor did their mothers suffer miscarriages prior to their birth.
Ideally, this takes place a month after the birth, but if a father has not redeemed his son, he must do so himself. The ceremony involves a pre-arranged dialogue between a Kohen and the father during a festive meal. After the payment of a fee stipulated in the Torah, the father acquires his son from the Kohen, removing him from the priesthood.
Education
The Torah exempts children from fulfilling mitzvot. However, our sages said that parents must educate their children in their observance. Each mitzvah has a specific age from which children should be taught to observe it. For example, girls light Shabbat candles from the age of three, boys participate in the sukkah from the age of six, and so on.
The Torah obligates a father to teach Torah to his children. This obligation begins as soon as a child learns to speak (and even before), and is fulfilled by teaching the child to recite verses from the Torah, even if they do not understand them.
Upshern
A child's third birthday marks an important transition in their life. Until now, they have been nothing more than a recipient of food, clothing, and affection from their parents, but from this age onward, the child can begin to give.
This change is celebrated with a ceremony. There is an ancient custom of letting children's hair grow uncut and cutting it on their third birthday, leaving tufts of hair on the sides of their head (peies). From this day forward, the child is taught to wear a kippah and tzitzit, as well as to recite certain morning blessings and the Shema Yisrael.
If the birthday falls on a day when cutting hair is prohibited, the ceremony is postponed until the first possible day.
Bar and Bat Mitzvah
The Torah considers a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy ready to assume the responsibilities of observing all the mitzvot. Therefore, on their birthday, regardless of their actions, they automatically become Bar and Bat Mitzvah, meaning son and daughter of the mitzvot.
It is customary for the boy to make an Aliyah to the Torah so that his Bar Mitzvah is publicly known. They also usually gather with friends to celebrate the day and become aware that their relationship with God takes on a new dimension. Until now, observing mitzvot was something like a game, a practice, but from the age of 12 or 13, observance becomes serious.
Road to marriage
Why does one get married? Our sages explain that the natural compulsion to marry expresses a deep ambition of the soul: its desire to reconnect with its other half. Each body is occupied by half of a soul. Body and soul are made whole when each is reunited with its other half.
The mitzvah of marriage takes effect at the age of eighteen. A Jewish man marries a Jewish woman. Marriage is the union of two souls, and this is possible only if the two souls are spiritually compatible.
Furthermore, Jewish marriage is a commitment to the continuity of our nation. The fact that Jewish parents raise Jewish children with Jewish values is our nonviolent way of combating all the bigots and bigots who tried to relegate our people to the annals of history.
There are many technical matters that need to be consulted, such as certain restrictions regarding whom the Cohen can marry.
In Jewish tradition, one does not go out with a partner to have a good time; rather, dating is reserved for men and women who are actively seeking their life partner.
Jewish law prohibits a man and a woman from being together in seclusion. Therefore, public or semi-private places are preferred for rendezvous.
Jewish marriage
There are many details about a Jewish wedding. Basically, it involves a chuppah (wedding canopy) with ten adult men, a bride, a ring, a marriage contract (ketubah), and a series of blessings.
Before the wedding, the Ketubah is prepared, outlining the groom's obligations to the bride. They then enter the chuppah, the officiant recites a series of blessings, and the groom presents the ring to the bride, formally marrying her. The Ketubah is also read aloud publicly. Afterward, the bride and groom retire to a private room for about 10 minutes, where they are truly alone for the first time.
Then a festive meal is held with guests and dancing, to cheer up the bride and groom.
Death
The moment of a person's death indicates that the time God assigned to that person to fulfill their mission—to study Torah and perform Mitzvot—has ended.
The deceased should be treated with the utmost respect, so one should refrain from idle chatter in their presence. The ideal behavior is to recite psalms.
As preparation for burial, Jewish bodies undergo a ritual washing (called Tahara) and are dressed in white clothes specially prepared for the occasion: pants, a shirt, cloth shoes, a cap, a belt, and a sheet that covers the body completely.
Kadish
A father brings a son into this world, but the son carries his father to the World to Come. Children can help their father's soul ascend by reciting Kaddish for him after his passing.
Even if the deceased left no children, another person may recite the Kaddish on their behalf. The Kaddish is recited by the sons every day for eleven months.