Yamulka on child under 3

Tefila

Tue, Dec 07 2004, 12:18 pm

Quote:

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for haircut, sapar, also means a boundary. The haircut sets a new standard of behavior; what was acceptable for a baby is now largely out of bounds.

WHY THREE YEARS?

The idea of three years as the transition stage derives from the mitzvah of orlah. The Torah says that if you plant a tree, all fruits which grow during the first three years are "orlah" -- off-limits (Leviticus 19:23). Just as orlah fruit is off-limits for three years, so too we leave a child's hair alone during the first three years.

What's the connection? In various places, the Torah compares a person to a tree:

- "A person is like the tree of a field..." (Deut. 20:19)

- "For as the days of a tree, shall be the days of my people." (Isaiah 65:22)

- "He will be like a tree planted near water..." (Jeremiah 17:8)

Therefore, like orlah, we leave a child's hair alone during the first three years.

Why are people compared to trees?

A tree needs the four basic elements in order to survive -- soil, water, air, and fire (sun). In a figurative sense, human beings also require the same basic elements.

Soil is where a tree needs to be firmly rooted. Humans also require a strong home base, where values and morals are absorbed, and which provides a supportive growth environment. Today, unfortunately, many trees are at risk of being blown down by the forces of media, materialism, and information overload. We need a "filter," a safe haven to return to and refresh. Home is the "soil" where we can be ourselves, make our mistakes and still be accepted, loved and nourished.

The Talmud (Avot 3:22) speaks of a person whose roots are numerous: "Even if all the winds of the world were to come and blow against it, they could not budge it from its place."

Both rain and Torah descend from the heavens and provide relief to the thirsty and parched.

Water is crucial as well. Without it, the tree will whither and die. The Torah is compared to water, as Moses says: "May my teaching drop like the rain" (Deut. 32:2). Both rain and Torah descend from the heavens and provide relief to the thirsty, giving zest and vitality to the human spirit.

The air contains oxygen that a tree needs for respiration, and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. In an imbalanced atmosphere, the tree would suffocate and die. The Torah states that "God breathed life into the form of Man" (Genesis 2:7). The Hebrew word for "breath" -- nesheema -- is the same as the word for "soul" -- neshama. Our spiritual life force comes, metaphorically, by way of air and respiration.

A tree needs fire (sunlight) to survive. Humans also need fire, symbolized by the warmth of community. People absorb the energy of peers, friends, family, neighbors and associates -- and channel that into identity and actions. Essential Jewish observances are based on community, including the celebrations of birth until death. If we don't attach ourselves to a strong community, we risk being cast into the pale bleak anonymity of urban life.

In other words, a person is like a tree.

SPIRITUAL BLOCKAGE

The term "orlah" appears in three different references in the Torah, regarding 1) fruits, 2) Bris Milah, and 3) the pursuit of truth. But what does the word "orlah" literally mean? And what is the connection between these three references?

The first reference, in Leviticus 19:23, is that fruits which grow during the first three years are classified as "orlah" and not eaten. Nachmanides explains that while the tree is yet immature, there is an excess build-up of fluids in the fruits which can prove harmful if eaten. Orlah, as defined by Nachmanides, means "blocked up."

The second, and perhaps most famous reference to "orlah," is the foreskin removed during circumcision (Genesis 17:11). The commentators explain that this orlah also refers to blockage -- in this case a spiritual blockage. A Jewish boy does not receive the full measure of his soul until the circumcision is performed, and for this reason the Torah notes the consequence of "spiritual excisement" for any Jewish male who does not have a Bris Milah (Genesis 17:14).

(Since this reference applies only to boys, the third-birthday haircut is only done with boys. But on a conceptual level, it applies to girls as well -- as women also recite the line in Grace After Meals referring to "the Bris which You [God] sealed on our bodies.")

Barriers of the heart prevent one from seeing the truth.

The third reference to "orlah" is when God tells the Jewish people to "remove the orlah from your heart" (Deut. 10:16). Here the reference is symbolic; the Almighty is exhorting us to pursue truth. Doing so requires removing that which prevents one from seeing the truth -- the "barriers of the heart."

Ok, Motek so it's not chassidish in origin Wink