The Chatam Sofer and the First Mitzvah: The Joy of Accepting the Yoke of Heaven

In the year 5594 (1834), the great Torah sage Rabbi Moshe Sofer of Pressburg, known as the Chatam Sofer, celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of his son, Rabbi Shimon Sofer. The joyous event took place on Shabbat Parashat Vayechi, when young Shimon was called up to the Torah for the first time.

During the celebration, the Chatam Sofer turned to his students and guests and asked: “Do you know what is the very first mitzvah a person becomes obligated in upon reaching the age of mitzvot?”

The Mitzvah of Joy

The students quickly replied: “Surely, the first mitzvah must be Kriat Shema (the recitation of the Shema), since the boy becomes obligated in it as soon as night falls on his 13th birthday.”

But the Chatam Sofer shook his head and answered differently: “No. The first mitzvah a person fulfills upon entering the age of responsibility is the mitzvah of joy — the joy of accepting the yoke of the commandments.”

He explained that serving God with happiness is a commandment that precedes all others. As the Torah warns: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart…” (Devarim 28:47)

Thus, said the Chatam Sofer, the first obligation of a newly bar mitzvah boy is to rejoice in becoming a servant of God — to be happy in his new role and in the privilege of performing mitzvot.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Bar Mitzvah

The Chatam Sofer elaborated on the verse: “Yosef saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children also of Machir the son of Menashe were brought up upon Yosef’s knees.” (Bereishit 50:23)

In the Magen Avraham (Orach Chaim 225:4), quoting the Yalkut Chadash, it is written that a father should make a festive meal and celebration on the day his son turns thirteen — just as one celebrates a wedding. This is derived from the Zohar Chadash on the verse: “Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Shlomo, upon the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding and on the day of the gladness of his heart.”
(Shir Hashirim 3:11)

The Zohar interprets this allegorically — the “day of his wedding” refers to the day a young man enters into the covenant of Torah and mitzvot.

Why the Mother Rejoices Most

Why, the Chatam Sofer asked, does the verse say that his mother crowned him with joy — and not his father?

The answer, he explained, lies in human nature and halachic duty: The father certainly rejoices that his son has grown wise and is now entering the world of mitzvot — but at the same time, he feels a measure of sadness, for he is now freed from the mitzvah of educating his son.

This bittersweet feeling is reflected in the Talmudic teaching (Sanhedrin 19b) that even a righteous man, “Palti ben Laish,” wept when he was released from a mitzvah. Similarly, the Ramban (commentary on Parashat Naso) explains that a Nazir must bring an offering when his vow ends — because he leaves behind a sacred state.

The mother, however, who is not obligated in the mitzvah of educating her son, feels pure and complete joy. Her heart is filled only with pride and happiness that her child has reached spiritual maturity.

The Lesson of the Bar Mitzvah

From this teaching, the Chatam Sofer revealed a deep truth: A Bar Mitzvah is not merely a transition of age — it is the spiritual birth of joy in divine service.

The first mitzvah of a Jewish adult is not ritual, but rejoicing in the opportunity to fulfill God’s will. This joy, he said, is the foundation upon which all Torah observance must stand.