When do you make an upsherin, on the 3rd b-day or lag b'omer

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When do you make an upsherin, on the 3rd birthday or lag b'omer?

On the actual day of the 3rd birthday, unless it is during sefira or the 3 weeks

45%

[ 23 ]

On any convenient day after the third birthday

13%

[ 7 ]

On the lag b'omer after the child's birthday

[ 1 ]

On the lag b'omer closest to the birthday, even if it is before

[ 4 ]

Some other time

[ 1 ]

We don't make an upsherin

29%

[ 15 ]

Total Votes : 51

Atali

Thu, May 22 2008, 4:18 pm

Someone recently asked me if I was making my son's upsherin on this lag b'omer or the next one. At first I assumed that they were asking the question because my DS was born on erev pesach and they thought that he was born on pesach itself, necessitating a lag b'omer upsherin (he turned two this year). So I answered that I was planning on making it on his actual birthday, erev pesach of next year.

The questioner seemed suprised, she said that most people she knows (she is Litvish) make the upsherin on the closest lag b'omer to the child's third birthday, either before it or after it?

How common is this?

Mama Bear

Thu, May 22 2008, 4:43 pm

My son was born at the end of Av. although he is named after R' Shimon bar Yochai and a lot of ppl were surprised we didnt go to meron to cut his hair, we're doing his upsherin on his birthday iyh.

chaylizi

Thu, May 22 2008, 4:51 pm

I asked my husband what our minhag is (we're not litvish) & he said that we cut the lag b'omer before the birthday. I didn't know this already, b/c I only have girls & it has not yet been pertinent.

red sea

Thu, May 22 2008, 4:53 pm

well this thread just leads to a ton more questions - if pple have a minhag to cut on lag baomer before the 3rd birthday then their kid is not compared to a tree anymore? so why do it otherwise? are there more reasons to grow boys hair? until 2 and a half? anyone know?

GetReal

Thu, May 22 2008, 4:59 pm

Pardon my ignorance, but what is the connection between upsherin and Lag Baomer? My brother was born on Pesach, so his upsherin was on Lag Baomer. I always thought all the Lag Baomer upsherin boys must have been born on Pesach or afterwards. Is there a special significance to having an upsherin on Lag Baomer regardless when the b-day is?

mummy-bh

Thu, May 22 2008, 5:19 pm

I know some Bostoner chassidim who cut their boy's hair on Lag B'omer when his b-day wasn't until Sivan. They explained that the inyan is to do it on the nearest Lag b'omer to the birthday

Some chasidim (Square, I think?) cut on the second birthday.

I know some Litvaks who will trim the hair if, eg it's getting in the boy's eyes.

So, there are many different minhagim on this. I think we have a sefer about Opsherenish somewhere, I'll go see if I can find it.

sky

Thu, May 22 2008, 5:48 pm

no upsherin - not a yekish minhag.
I was so upset when I first found out. But now it is really nice knowing that I can trim his hair when ever it gets too long. I am not doing a full haircut yet because he will look to old.

Crayon210

Thu, May 22 2008, 5:57 pm

Are you going to have a wimple for him?

(That word really weirds me out.)

Tehilla

Thu, May 22 2008, 6:01 pm

Crayon210 wrote:

Are you going to have a wimple for him?

(That word really weirds me out.)

I remember when someone first told me what that was!

mammala120

Thu, May 22 2008, 6:04 pm

malkief wrote:

no upsherin - not a yekish minhag.
.

what does that mean

Crayon210

Thu, May 22 2008, 6:05 pm

She doesn't make an upsherin because it's not a yekke minhag (and, mistama, she's a yekke or married one).

bashinda

Thu, May 22 2008, 6:06 pm

btw you should add to the poll for the first option unless it's Shabbos. You can't exactly cut his hair on Shabbos, right?

Thanks for the interesting info. I never knew people would do it davka lag b'omer.

miriamnechama

Thu, May 22 2008, 7:34 pm

well didn't know what to vote, with 2 boys, one I didon his birthday and the second I did on lag beomer cus he was born erev pesach...

GAMZu

Thu, May 22 2008, 10:22 pm

Lag BaOmer closest to birthday.

Although it's not split by 6 months before/after Lag BaOmer. My husband told me the outline, but I forgot.

Anyway, our first had upsherin on LB and his birthday is exactly one month later.
The next little one will be 3 R"CH Nissan. He'll be 3y 1.5 months when we cut his hair.

amother

Thu, May 22 2008, 10:35 pm

My son's birthday is Lag Baomer (tonight as a matter of fact), but alas, it is neither my husband's nor my family's minhag to make an upsherin. I say "alas" not because I am sorry we don't grow the boys' hair, but because isn't it kind of a waste to be born on Lag Baomer and not do an upsherin on the birthday? By the way, he turned 2 on his 3rd Lag Baomer.

shayna82

Thu, May 22 2008, 10:46 pm

my sons upshernish is tommorow iyh!!!!

he turned three last shabbos, so it worked out perfect. plus we got extra days with his long blond hair!

GAMZu

Thu, May 22 2008, 10:50 pm

Wow, Mazal Tov!

RachelEve14

Fri, May 23 2008, 6:15 am

Mazel Tov!

It's not the minhag in dh's family at all, none of his sibilings ever did one for their boys, but he wants to do one for Avraham Tzvi IY"H when the time comes. I assume we'll do it somewhere around his b-day, but it might be a bit later since he is born 11 Adar and Purim week is kind of nutty.

mamacita

Fri, May 23 2008, 9:59 am

I'm another yekke who doesn't do upsherin. Like malkief I felt sad at first, but then I realized that keeping minhagim meant not doing as much as doing and that doing it anyway would be untrue to our mesorah.

BeershevaBubby

Fri, May 23 2008, 10:29 am

We have 2 years to decide what we're doing and please Hashem, may Moshiach come first...

Since we live in Israel, our families end up missing so much of our small smachot and so many of Nati's milestones that we're most likely going to have his upsherin in the US the summer he turns 3 (his birthday is May). We may also try to have a double upsherin with my brother's baby who is a month younger than Nati... or maybe even do a triple-header and add my sister's son who is 6 months younger than Nati.

Of course if Moshiach is here by the time we're ready for the upsherin, it will be the Lag B'Omer just before he turns 3... his Hebrew birthday is day 42 of the Omer.

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