Mirrors

Gold Member Joined: Aug 18 2004 Posts: 1352

With Zu it was no bigie to keep him away from mirrors until he cut his first tooth. He would scream bloody murder if he went near one. Tev on the other hand every time we have walked past one loves it. Zu brought Tev a toy the other day of his that had a mirror. Tev was fasinated and couldn't look away. I have never seen him so engaged before. Usually he will give a toy a min or two but thats it. he loved the mirror. Any suggestions?
sara

Posted: Sun, Oct 31 2004, 7:40 pm Post subject:

I dont think there is anything to worry about. if he is quiet thats good.
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Esther 05/16/01 Zalman 09/11/02 Shoshana 05/22/04 Batya 11/05/08 Eliyahu 10/31/2011

You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they are going

Posted: Mon, Nov 01 2004, 12:24 am Post subject:

I am also having trouble with this. My first two children it was no big deal.

My three month old already catches her reflection immediately and interacts with it when ever I walk by a mirror or the oven or a plate glass window. She is just a baby and I know it will only get worse LOL The only good thing is she started teething. I hope she gets her teeth soon!

My dh's Bubby is very adamant that we should be careful about not letting her look at herself in the mirror so we will keep on trying to avoid it. It is hard and without a real reason not to it is even harder especially since it makes her so happy!
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Liba, mommy to Zlata Tova 5/6/98, Tziporah Faiga 1/12/01, Esther Rivka 7/13/04 and Avraham Chaim 7/2/2006

Posted: Tue, Nov 02 2004, 4:06 pm Post subject:

what is the source of this?
I tried for the first 6 months not to let levi look in a mirror, but he would love it when he saw himself. when I saw that no teeth were coming I sort of gave up, he would crawl around find the long mirror that reaches almost to the floor and stand there for a long time talking to himself and making faces. I couldnt stop it so I didnt bother. he got his first tooth at 12 months!! there's no way I could have stopped him till then.
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Gold Member Joined: Jun 20 2004 Posts: 1264

With toys that have mirrors just put a rebbe picture there or some other picture. My grandmother told me the reason behind this custom but I forgot it - I should ask her

Gold Member Joined: Aug 18 2004 Posts: 1352

Thats a great idea. With Zu I just put tape over the mirrors. When we cover the mirrors with Tev though he gets fussy and upset.
Sara

Posted: Wed, Nov 17 2004, 7:24 pm Post subject:

I don't see why you shouldn't let your child look in the mirror, babies love looking at other babies and looking at the mirror seeing their reflection they love it. My son didn't get his first tooth till he was 10 months old and walking around the furniture. I didn't stop him from looking in the mirror I actually used to let him look and now he loves looking at himself in mirror (vain) and he runs over to the floor mirror and makes mad noises and likes to wave to himself or point.

Posted: Wed, Nov 17 2004, 8:27 pm Post subject:

Rivka, I think it is a kbalatic thing that a kid shouldnt look into a mirro till they get their first tooth... I dont know the reasoning ,but maybe someone else does...my kid got his first tooth at 4 months so I really didnt have to worry, but I wouldnt make such a big deal out of it cuz how hard can you try?
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Posted: Sun, Feb 06 2005, 1:13 am Post subject:

my husband asked a rov and was told it's superstition...but we all grew up with it?? is there SOME source?? (we're not holding by it, though...)
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Senior Member Joined: Oct 25 2004 Posts: 127

I do not think you are going to like this answer, but it comes from a time when people believed that spirits lived in mirrors. As children were considered more suseptable to them as they had no way to fight back, they were kept away until they had a "defense mechanism". As "spirits were thought to enter through the mouth, a tooth was a top weapon. (Source, The book of Myths and Legends"). It was an incredible common belief in the ancient world.

Posted: Sun, Feb 06 2005, 5:50 am Post subject:

Happy duck, I hope you're right, because my baby has been looking in mirrors for ages and my husband thinks it's so cute. He never heard of this idea of not letting babies look in the mirror and as for me, I couldn't remember till when they're not supposed to - till they walk? talk? - so I wasn't very convincing when I told him to keep the baby away from the mirror.

Posted: Sun, Feb 06 2005, 6:48 am Post subject:

As I said in the fish thread, I personally keep those Bubbe Maises I heard in my or my husband's family because of Kibud Eim. If you didn't hear it from your own Bubbe, I see no point in keeping other people's Bubbe Maises.

Posted: Sun, Feb 06 2005, 6:50 am Post subject:

Guest

so is it actually avoida zara to avoid mirrors?

Senior Member Joined: Oct 25 2004 Posts: 127

Posted: Sun, Feb 06 2005, 6:26 pm Post subject:

thats sounds scary happy duck

Guest

Sorry, Happy, I was just htinking out loud.

Here are more thoughts:

it could be sheidim or something like them (shaidim are not mirror lovers, thoug - they're more into hot places) and have a rationale behind it;

or one of those irrational believes of goim that stemmed from the Jewish minhag of covering mirrors during shiva (lo aleinu) -
if the Jews do it, then there must be something in it, and so on, untill we get to the tooth "lokshen mit...??"
(you know, in Ukraine goim cover mirrors too);

but if it is rooted in avoda zara, is it considered that if we follow it? Confused

Posted: Mon, Feb 07 2005, 11:47 am Post subject:

Posted: Mon, Feb 07 2005, 11:49 am Post subject:

FY the goim took a lot of the jewish stuff from us. For example you have holloween, you have x mas. So probably the thing about covering the mirrors they got from us too.

Guest

y, thats what I ment.
Haloween is totally pagan, though, I think, b/c its the day when all baddies come out. Nothing Jewish in that.
And xmas too - resurection of yoshka is not a Jewish minhag copied.
However, N Year happens to be 8 days after the resurecion, and many people think it has to do w/ bris. I disagree, though.

Goim in Ukraine have an interesting custom not to pass things over the thresh hold. We think they picked it up from the prohibition to carry on Shabbos.