Page 179 - Tzurba M'Rabanan Volume1

ןנברמ אברוצ שארה תואפ תוכלה · 177

The Custom of the Chalaka

or Upsherin

Some have the custom to wait until a child is three years old before giving him a haircut (and leaving the
pe’ot). This custom is known as a chalaka, from the root word chalak in Arabic, which means a haircut, or
upsherin, which means cutting off in Yiddish. After the haircut, the father begins to teach his son Torah, as is
mentioned in the Midrash.

h Midrash Tanchuma, | )רבוב( אמוחנת שרדמ . 44
Parshat Kedoshim 14 די םישודק תשרפ
“And you plant any fruit bearing tree, and the fruit shall be sealed ותלרע )תא( םתלרעו לכאמ ץע לכ םתעטנו
off for three years” (Vayikra 19:23), this refers to a child; “for ,קוניתב רבדמ ,)גכ:טי ארקיו( וירפ תא
three years it will be sealed off,” [i.e., the child] cannot converse אל לוכי ןיאש ,םילרע םכל היהי םינש שלש
or speak; “but in the fourth year all his fruit will be set aside as היהי תיעיברה הנשבו ,רבדל אלו חישהל
holy,” meaning that his father dedicates him to Torah.
.הרותל ושידקמ ויבאש ,]שדוק[ וירפ לכ

Some have the minhag to conduct the upsherin on Lag BaOmer, for a few possible reasons: Some base it
on the rationale that since it always falls close to the Shabbat when the parshiyot of Kedoshim and Emor are
read, which detail the prohibition of cutting the pe’ot, it is appropriate to perform the upsherin at this time,
as it is the first time that the pe’ot are left while receiving a haircut. Others base the custom on more mystical
reasons. The custom is cited as well by the Shaarei Teshuva in the laws of shaving on Chol HaMoed.

a Shaarei Teshuva 531:7 ז:אלקת | הבושת ירעש . 45

… See the Gan Hamelech, who writes: “It is permitted to delay תוהשהל רתומו ל"זו 'כש ךלמה ןגב ןייעו
the joyous occasion of the [first] haircut that one does for a child ליגרהל ידכ ןטקל ןישועש תחלגתה תחמש
[until Chol HaMoed], in order to combine the timing with the 'וכ ךכב אכיא ימנ הוצמו דעומב החמשה
festival, and there is also a mitzva involved, etc.” And the idea םג י"א גהנמ אוה החמשה לש ןינעהו ש"ע
of [making it into] a joyous occasion is also the custom in Eretz לש הנושארה תחלגתהב החמש ןישועש ןכ
Yisrael, where they make a joyous occasion of the first haircut of תואיפ ול תויהל 'וצמב התוא ןיכנחמש ןטק
a child, at which time they first educate him regarding the mitzva
of having pe’ot of the head. See the Pri Eitz Chayim (Shaar Sefirat רמועה תריפס רעש ח"עפב ןייעו שארה
HaOmer) who writes regarding those who go to the gravesite of א"רו י"בשר רבק לע םיכלוהה ןינעב 'כש
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Eliezer his son in Meron on ורומ תא הארש רמועב ג"לב ןינרימב ונב
Lag BaOmer that he [also] saw his teacher the Arizal go there to התשמב ונב תא חלגל םש ךלהש ל"זיראה
give his son a haircut with wine and rejoicing at that time. :ש"ע ,םהה םימיב החמשו

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