Upsherin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Upsherin or Upsherinish (Yiddish: אפשערן, lit. "shear off" German etymology, auf ["off"], scheren ["to shear"]) refers to a Jewish haircutting ceremony, Hasidic in origin, that takes place when a Jewish boy reaches the age of three years.
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[edit] Basic principles
Just as a tree grows tall and with time, produces fruit, so it is hoped that a little boy will grow in knowledge, good deeds and, eventually have children of his own. There are biblical references to the human life being compared to trees.[1] Therefore, just as the Torah says (Leviticus 19:23) that if you plant a tree, all fruits that grow during the first three years are off-limits, so, too, some Jews leave a child’s hair alone during the first three years and do not cut it at all.
[edit] Customs
A number of Haredi non-Hasidic Rabbis, such as Rabbis Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (the Steipler) and Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik opposed the practice strongly on various grounds, including questionable origin. The custom, however, is practiced widely by Hassidim and has spread in recent years to other groups as well.
The custom of the Skverer Hasidic sect is to have the upsherin at age two. In Israel, many non-religious families also wait three years to cut their son's hair.
Traditionally, after his upsherin, a little boy would enter school and formal Torah education. He would begin donning a kippah (if not already wearing one) and tzitzit. He will learn blessings, prayers and the Hebrew alphabet. At the upsherin, parents encourage their little ones to lick Hebrew letters covered in honey while saying each letter, so that Torah should be "sweet on their tongues."
Today, the tradition of a child eating something sweet or licking honey while reading the letters, is sometimes followed even if there is no upsherin, but rather when a child is first taught their Aleph Bet. This is not just to show the child that learning is "sweet", nor just that Torah study is "sweet", but also, to learn the sweetness of the Hebrew language.
There are other smaller customs which surround the actual ceremony, such as weighing the hair that is cut off, and giving the equivalent amount to charity. Today the hair is often donated to a charity that uses the hair to make wigs for sick children. A child might sing in Hebrew, "Moses prescribed the Torah to us, an eternal heritage for the congregation of Jacob." (Deut. 33:4).
It is tradition for all people present to cut off a lock of hair, and to encourage tzedakah the child puts a penny in a tzedakah jar for every lock as it is cut.
[edit] History
The tradition may date as far back as the 17th century. It is part of Kabbalistic teachings.
[edit] Lag B'Omer
Rabbi Chaim Vital, in Sha'ar HaKavonot, wrote that "Isaac Luria, cut his son's hair on Lag B'Omer, according to the well known custom."
Many upsherinish take place at the grave of Shimon bar Yochai, in Meron, Israel on Lag B'Omer. According to tradition, he wrote the Kabbalistic book of Zohar in which it is explained that the bonfires traditionally lit on Lag B'Omer are symbolic of the light of Torah.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- What is Upsherin? from judaism.about.com
- Upsherin from aish.com
- Leviticus 19:23 Aryeh Kaplan's translation
- Upshernish at chabad.org
[edit] Notes
- ^ see Deuteronomy 20:19, Isaiah 65:22, Jeremiah 17:8
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| Birth | Shalom Zachor · Brit milah · Zeved habat · Hebrew name · Pidyon HaBen |
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| Coming of age | Upsherin · Wimpel · B'nai Mitzvah · Yeshiva | |
| Daily life | Ritual washing · Prayers and blessings · Grace after Meals | |
| Marriage | Bashert · Matchmaking · Role of women · Niddah · Mikvah · Tzniut · Divorce | |
| Religious practice | 613 commandments · Customs · Torah study (Weekly portion • Daf Yomi) · Jewish holidays · Tzedakah | |
| Religious items | Sefer Torah · Tzitzit · Tallit · Tefillin · Mezuzah · Kippah · Chanukkiyah · Shofar | |
| Culture | Diaspora · Israel · Immigration into Israel · The Holocaust | |
| Death | Chevra Kadisha · Shiva · Kaddish · Tehillim · Yahrzeit · Yizkor · Honorifics in Judaism | |
