Servizi per la comunità Ebraica Milano
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Rabbinate
The Central Rabbinical Authority of the Jewish Community of Milan serves its members in the fields of education and religious guidance, offering courses and lessons accessible to everyone, online,
for every stage and occasion of Jewish life.
Closed on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays
Rabbi
Alfonso Arbib
Milah- Circumcision
Bat mitzvah - Religious coming of age for
girls at the age of 12
Bar mitzvah - Religious coming of age for
boys at the age of 13
Weddings - Organisation of the religious cecertification and management of civil weddings
Bereavement- 224/7 support for families, management of cemetery procedures, and remembrance anniversaries
Bet Din (Rabbinical Court) - personal and commercial disputes, divorces and c
onversions
Kashrut - Certification and supervision of catering services and commercial establishments
Milah
Milah (circumcision) is not merely a surgical act, but the consecration of the covenant (berit) established between the people of Israel and G-d since the time of the Patriarch Abraham. It is a mitzvah to perform the milah on a child on the eighth day after birth, even if that day falls on Shabbat, a major festival or Yom Kippur.
The milah may be postponed only for reasons related to the newborn’s health. Postponed milot, as well as those of children born by caesarean section, do not take place on Shabbat or on Jewish
Bat Mitzvah
For girls, the obligation to observe the mitzvot begins at the age of twelve. They are expected to arrive at the Bat Mitzvah ceremony with appropriate preparation, including an examination comparable to that undertaken by boys.
A woman is required to observe the mitzvot with a level of commitment no less than that of a man.
Bar Mitzvah
Bar Mitzvah marks the religious coming of age of a male. When a Jewish boy reaches the age of thirteen according to the Hebrew calendar, he assumes responsibility for the observance of the mitzvot and is therefore called a Bar Mitzvah.
Attendance at the Bar Mitzvah ceremony is permitted only for those who, after having passed an examination in the presence of the Chief Rabbi or another Rabbi delegated by him, have demonstrated adequate and serious preparation in accordance with the required programme.
Regardless of this, the obligation to observe the mitzvot becomes effective upon reaching the age of thirteen.
The Rabbinical Office, which must be contacted well in advance, is available to provide guidance for preparation for both the examinations and the ceremony.
If postponed for serious reasons, the Bar Mitzvah ceremony may not be celebrated on Shabbat Teshuvah, nor during the period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av.
Marriage
Marriage is one of the most important commandments. This precept restores the original unity of Adam, who embodied both the masculine and feminine principles, and ensures the continuity of the Jewish people through procreation.
When a couple decides to marry, they must contact the Rabbinical Office, which will provide all the necessary information to set the wedding date and to lay the foundations for establishing a Jewish home and family. During this preparatory phase, the future spouses will attend courses organised by the Community, covering the meaning of marriage, Jewish marital law, kashrut, observance of Shabbat and festivals, the teaching of Torah to children, the laws of Taharat HaMishpachah (family purity), and the mitzvah of tzedakah (support for those in need).
These principles help create an atmosphere of kedushah (holiness) that characterises the Jewish family and ensures happiness and divine blessing.
The Main Synagogue of Milan, or another authorised venue, must submit to the Municipal Civil Registry Office, in addition to the certificates required by law (birth, citizenship, marital status), a formal request from the Rabbinical Office, which may be collected directly from it. Marriage banns may not be published on Shabbat or on Jewish festivals.
Once the wedding date has been set and the clearance (nulla osta) has been obtained from the Municipal Civil Registry Officer, the couple must return to the Rabbinical Office to submit the documentation and provide their Hebrew names and those of their parents, which are required for the drafting of the Ketubah (marriage contract).
The bride must arrange to perform the Tevilah (ritual immersion) in the Mikveh. The Mikveh is a ritual bath containing spring water, water that has come into contact with spring water, or rainwater, constructed in accordance with specific regulations. To be valid, the Tevilah must be performed exclusively in the Mikveh (or, under certain conditions, in spring water, sea water, etc.). The Tevilah may take place only after at least seven days have passed since the end of the menstrual period. During the immersion, the woman must ensure that there are no rings, hairpins, nail polish, lipstick or any other substances that might prevent full contact with the water; during immersion, the mouth should be closed but not tightly shut.
The Tevilah must be completed before the wedding. According to the Torah, sexual life is a fundamental part of human existence and is integral to the purpose of creation. In addition to procreation, the aim of marital relations is to foster a harmonious life as a couple. After seven days have passed from the confirmation of the complete absence of any bleeding, the woman immerses herself in the Mikveh.
Observance of these rules has, among other effects, the consequence that by abstaining from sexual relations for at least twelve days each month, spouses are encouraged from the outset to structure their marriage around other forms of dialogue and communication. After each Tevilah, the relationship is renewed, allowing for a continual rediscovery of one’s partner, which helps prevent the bond from becoming stagnant.
Except for the Tevilah performed before the wedding—which may take place during the day—the Tevilah must be performed in the evening, after nightfall. Before immersion, the woman must be perfectly clean. The text to be recited during the Tevilah may be requested from the attendant at the Mikveh.
È uso che i genitori degli sposi e lo sposo salgano alla lettura della Torà il Sabato precedente il giorno del matrimonio.
Lo sposo acquista un anello che dovrà dare alla sposa al momento del matrimonio. Non è uso ebraico lo scambio degli anelli. Il Cohen è sottoposto ad alcune limitazioni nella scelta della sposa (ad esempio non può sposare né una divorziata, né una convertita).
È proibito celebrare matrimoni di Sabato, nelle feste solenni e mezze feste; non si usa celebrare matrimoni nemmeno nei giorni di digiuno, nei giorni che vanno dal 17 di Tamùz al 9 di Àv e durante una parte dei giorni dello Òmer.
Avelut
(Mourning)
When a person enters the final moments of life, it is the responsibility of the family members to recite the prescribed prayers prior to death. Families may request the assistance of a Rabbi.
If death occurs on Shabbat or during Moed (a festival period), a trusted funeral agency should be contacted through a non-Jew, also in order to expedite burial arrangements.
Following the death, the relatives present (parents, children, siblings, spouse) are required to perform Keri’ah. In the case of the death of a parent, this consists of tearing the garment on the left side, over the heart, while reciting the formula: “Baruch… Dayan HaEmet” (“Blessed is… the True Judge”). In the case of the death of another close relative, the tearing is performed on the right side.
If a Rabbi is present, it is his role to guide the family through this painful rite.
Alternatively, Keri’ah may be performed at the cemetery immediately after burial. In the case of mourning for a parent, the garments torn during Keri’ah must be worn until the end of the seventh day of Avelut (Shivah). Keri’ah is not performed on Shabbat or during Moed.
The body must be covered, wrapped in a sheet and placed on the ground. Candles (not on Shabbat) are lit around the body, and a memorial lamp must remain lit continuously until the completion of the seventh day following burial, in the room where death occurred.
Mirrors in the room where the body is placed are covered.
From this moment begins the vigil over the deceased by family members, who, according to tradition, recite Psalms (in Hebrew or in any other language) until the funeral. Families may request prayer books from the Community to conduct the vigil themselves, or request the presence of an authorised watcher. It is understood that the prayers recited by family members carry greater spiritual value than those recited by others.
During the entire period from death until burial, the relatives are considered Onenim and may concern themselves only with matters necessary for the funeral. They are exempt from the observance of commandments (Tefillah, Tefillin, Birkat HaMazon, etc.), including participation in a Minyan.
The body undergoes Rechitzah (ritual washing) and is dressed in Tachrichin (white linen burial garments provided by the Community).
After the funeral, Avelut begins and lasts seven days (the day of burial is considered the first day, and the seventh day ends after the morning prayer). During these seven days, the Avelim (parents, children, siblings or spouse of the deceased) are not permitted to work.
Upon returning from the cemetery, they must partake in the Se’udat Avelut (mourner’s meal), brought as a gift by another Jewish family, while seated on the ground or on low stools. This meal consists of bread, hard-boiled eggs, salt and coffee; some add olives and biscuits. The mourners may sit at the table but must eat seated on their stools throughout the seven days, except on Shabbat, when they may sit normally.
If death occurred close to Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, the calculation of the days of Avelut changes; the Rabbinical Office should therefore be consulted for guidance.
The Avelim do not put on Tefillin on the first day of mourning.
The Avelim may not shave for thirty days following burial. In the case of mourning for a parent, shaving is permitted only from the thirty-first day and only upon strong encouragement by a peer. The thirty-one-day period is not shortened even if a festival occurs.
On the seventh day, the thirtieth day, and twelve months after burial, the Avelim visit the cemetery to recite the prescribed prayers at the grave. It is preferable that a Minyan be present so that Kaddish may be recited. It is customary to place the headstone between the eleventh and twelfth month.
Kaddish (see below) must be recited by the Avelim during the year of mourning, during morning and evening prayers. The recitation of Kaddish ceases during the first three weeks of the twelfth month. The Community may be asked to remember the name of the deceased during daily prayers throughout the mourning year.
Jewish burial is performed in the ground. Jewish law strictly forbids the placement of photographs, sculptures or other images on headstones.
During the thirty days of mourning—or, in the case of mourning for a parent, throughout the entire year of mourning—one must neither organise nor attend social or entertainment gatherings. In the case of family or friends’ celebrations, guidance should be sought from the Rabbinical Office.
Anyone attending a funeral or visiting graves in the cemetery must keep their head covered. On Shabbat, major festivals, intermediate festival days, Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim, the cemetery is closed to visitors.
The Community is at the disposal of families to provide all necessary support, explanations and comfort. The Community has published a book entitled “Jewish Laws of Mourning”, which is given to bereaved families and may also be requested from the Rabbinical Office.
All male Kohanim—patrilineal descendants of Aaron the Priest, not deriving from prohibited unions—are forbidden to come into contact with corpses, enter rooms containing a corpse, or enter a cemetery, except for the burial of their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, unmarried sister, or wife. In the event of the death of one of these relatives, they are permitted to come into contact with the body, arrange the burial and enter the cemetery; once burial has taken place, they may no longer enter the cemetery to visit the grave, even during mourning periods.
ANNIVERSARIES
The first anniversary (Yahrzeit) occurs exactly twelve Hebrew months from the day of burial. Subsequent anniversaries fall on the day of death according to the Hebrew lunar calendar.
If death occurred in the month of Adar during a leap year (with two Adars), the anniversary will fall, in a leap year, in the same Adar in which the death occurred, and in a non-leap year in the single Adar. If death occurred in a non-leap year, the anniversary will always fall in Adar Sheni or the single Adar.