On Getting Words Wrong…

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Yesterday, my family and I went to a Bar Mitzvah in Virginia. At the celebration, the DJ kept saying, “let’s put our hands together for the Mitzvah!” Every time he referred to the Bar Mitzvah boy, he would call him a “Mitzvah.”

At the end of the party, I went over to the DJ and told him that when he refers to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, he should call them just that!

“I’m sorry, but I’m from New York,” he said to me.

“What does that mean?” I asked. “I’m from New York too and I’m telling you that you’re using the word wrong. Some folks may find that offensive.”

“Look, I’ll call it what I call it,” he said and was very angry that I mentioned anything.

The father of the Bar Mitzvah came over to me and asked me what was wrong. I told him the story and he agreed. But, because I was curious about it, I looked it up.

According to the Answers.com, a “Mitzvah” means a commandment or a good dead. It also states that a Bar Mitzvah is a 13-year-old Jewish boy, “considered an adult and responsible for his moral and religious duties.”

Now I feel better. I’m from New York and I know the difference between a “Mitzvah” and a “Bar Mitzvah.” So much for the Virginian DJ!

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