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Today I am a
man. Tomorrow I return
                    to the seventh grade.

(From Haikus For Jews: for you, a little wisdom by David M Bader)

At the age of 13 a boy becomes responsible for his own actions. He becomes a man in the eyes of the Torah. The reward and punishment for his deeds goes on his account, not his parent's. As such, he can now be counted in the quorum of ten, read from the Torah, put on tefillin and more.

See first in the series Jewish Lifecycles I: Entering the Covenant
See second in the series Jewish Lifecycles II: Redemption
See third in the series Jewish Lifecycles III: My First Haircut

Rebecca Kowalsky, who made aliyah with her husband in 1985, is a photographer and mother of six. You can see more of her work on her site http://www.ImagesThroughTime.com, and contact her at .