Daughter

Bat means daughter, and like ben (son), it is a cornerstone of Jewish identity and naming. In Jewish religious life, a woman is identified as 'bat' followed by her father's name (and increasingly, her mother's name as well): Sarah bat Avraham (Sarah daughter of Abraham). This identification is used in prayer, in Torah honors, and on the ketubah (marriage contract). The celebration of daughters has grown enormously in Jewish life. The bat mitzvah ceremony, marking a girl's coming of age at 12, was introduced in the 20th century and has become a beloved milestone celebrated with the same joy and significance as a bar mitzvah. The birth of a daughter is celebrated with a simchat bat (joy of a daughter) ceremony in many communities. Biblical daughters feature in some of Scripture's most powerful stories. The daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27) famously petitioned Moses for inheritance rights, and God ruled in their favor — a remarkable moment of ancient legal advocacy. Pharaoh's daughter rescued baby Moses from the Nile, and Jephthah's daughter is the subject of one of the Bible's most tragic narratives. In modern Israel, the word bat carries no diminished status. Israeli women serve in the military, hold political office, and lead in every professional field. The evolution from the Torah's patriarchal society to modern Israel's relative egalitarianism is reflected in how bat is used today — with the same pride and weight as ben.