Haircutting 'ceremony' for 3yr old boy

Gold Member Joined: Mar 30 2008 Posts: 1426

what are the minhagim for an upsheren?

Posted: Mon, Dec 29 2008, 2:58 pm Post subject:

the main thing is to have a symbolic haircut leaving aside his peyos ...

different people do it differently ... some put honey on alef beis and have him read at least the אמת first middle and last letter (we did it with chocolate letters thanks to a friend) ... some take turns cutting snips (or the pony to save and then cutting snips thereafter) ... others do it in a school setting wrapping the kid in a talis ...
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don't wonder why people go crazy ... rather wonder why we don't
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NUTso but cute ~ things balance out Nervous

I took my boys to their cheder wrapped in a tallis (so that they don't see anything impure on the way). At the cheder the rebbe sang and danced with the "chosson". He took a board with the aleph beis and put honey on the Aleph, Mem and Tof (EMES) and had him lick it. He said "Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe" with him and they cut a cake which I had prepared with a special pasuk on top.

We only cut the hair on Lag Ba'Omer in Meron. Some people like to go to a big rav to cut the first lock.
Some people make a party or a seuda in their house.

BTW we keep our 3 year old in the house till sundown on their 3rd birthday because it is meant to be the holiest day of a boy's life and we don't want him to see anything impure.
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�All that is thought should not be said. All that is said should not be written. All that is written should not be published. All that is published should not be read.�
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3241

Those boys that are taken to cheder on their 3rd birthday - are they actually in cheder already? Or are they taken to a cheder where they don't usually go? I don't get how they could have a cheder, unless they start cheder while they are only 2 years old. I have always been confused about this.