Mazal Tov Shalom Ber



We are so proud of Shalom Ber.  He’s only three years old, but he is a very deep child.  It’s not surprising because he’s named after the fifth Chabad Rebbe (1860-1920).  I feel a special connection to him, because I’ve spent thousands of hours studying his teachings.


Shalom Ber was a little bit late to start talking.  But we weren’t concerned for even a moment. We could tell that he was busy listening👂.  While we were doing construction on the temporary shul on the side of our house, he would come every morning, and watch them intently all day until the workers left.  


Whenever I ask the boys, “who wants to practice reading with me?”  he’s the first one to grab his book and run to me.  This morning, after I vacuumed the mess from last night, he took all the parts out for cleaning.


It’s the perfect time to increase his education and training as a Jew.  


Upshernish is Yiddish for haircut, which at first seems kind of anticlimactic.


Why make a big celebration over a haircut?


For starters, once his hair is short, he’ll instantly transform from being a toddler to a young boy.


But it’s more than that.


We all know that Jewish people are different.  Our kids “feel different”.  They don’t play with all the other kids on the block, and it’s not because we told them not to or because they are antisocial.


It’s because we’re different!


We look different.  We dress different.  We act different.


Jewish boys get different haircuts than other boys on the block.  Their clothing includes a yarmulke and tzitzis.  The girls dress modestly.  And we act different.  Before we eat, we make a brocha and thank Hashem.  Before we go to play, we daven (pray).  We have a different level of respect to our parents (different in action).  We teach our children to never call their parents by name, even in front of them (this is a Jewish law, brought in shulchan oruch).


Yes, we are different.


And instead of shying away from it, or hiding it, or being embarrassed by it, WE CELEBRATE IT!


And this is what an upshernish is about.

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