Upsherin and the Aleph Bet, Part II

There is an interesting law in the Torah (Leviticus 19:23) that stipulates that one may not benefit from the produce of a fruit-bearing tree the first three years of its life. This law is referred to as orlah, which translated into English means barred or sealed off from use. Nahmanides, in his commentary on the Bible, explains the reason for this law. All first fruits should really be separated off from the tree and used to honor God by bringing the fruit to His Temple in Jerusalem. However, not much fruit is produced in the first few years of a tree’s life and certainly the fruit that does sprout on the tree lacks the robust flavor and fragrant smell of a mature fruit. Being that we only want to honor God with the best of the best we wait the three years until the fruit has achieved a ripeness fitting to honor the King of Kings. Like orlah, we leave the child’s hair untouched until age three, the age where formal Torah education begins and a child is mature enough to honor God through his desire and ability to learn the precious words of His Torah.

The upsherin event is filled with meaning. The first snip of the boy’s hair is at the front of the head where later on in his life he will place tefillin. Some parents weigh the hair and give the equivalent value in gold or silver to charity in the merit that the young boy will succeed in his Torah learning. A plastic coated card containing the Hebrew alphabet is dotted with honey and as the boy recites the aleph-bet he licks the honey along with each letter so the words of Torah will always be sweet on his lips, as is allegorically referred to in the phrase, “Your lips drip sweetness… honey and milk are under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11).

To celebrate this beautiful custom and the importance the Torah places on the spiritual development of a young child I decided to create the above picture for my baby’s room. At the center of the picture is a tree basking in a glorious sun, whose roots are firmly planted in a rich soil and is surrounded by lush greenery and refreshing springs. The first chapter of Psalms, which promises those that follow God’s Torah will be like a “tree planted alongside brooks of water, that yield its fruit in its season, and whose leaf never withers,” encircles the letters of the aleph bet. Modeh Ani, the first prayer we sing upon rising in the morning and the entire birkhot hashachar, morning blessings, are written in micrography in the tree, greenery, water and sun.

Upsherin and the Aleph Bet, Part I

When my son was first born, he was as bald as they come. Deciding on whether to grow his non-existent hair until age three, as is the Jewish custom in many circles, was not something I was thinking about. In fact, those early weeks, I wasn’t thinking much about anything except getting more sleep! However, as months went by and my son’s hair started to fill in, my husband and I started to discuss whether we would grow his hair until age three. I was opposed to it, merely for aesthetic reasons, I simply didn’t like the way ponytails and clips looked on little boys, and always having to explain to strangers how your “cute little girl” was actually a boy. However when my husband found out it was my family’s custom to grow the hair until age three, the discussion was essentially over. I figured once I was going to follow this custom at least let me learn more about it.

So I decided to do some research. The custom of “upsherin” as it is traditionally called is first mentioned in the book “Sha’ar haKavanot” by the famed Kabbalist R’ Chaim Vital, but the origin is in Biblical verses. In many places throughout the Bible and prophetic writings man is likened 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).

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, for then the Lord will be his security. He will be like a tree planted near water…whose foliage is evergreen…and will not stop producing fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8).

And lastly, a similar idea of that expressed by Jeremiah appears in the first chapter of Psalms where the righteous man who always desires closeness to God and His Torah, is compared to a “tree planted alongside brooks of water, that yield its fruit in its season, and whose leaf never withers; and everything he does shall succeed.”

Why all these scriptural comparisons between man and trees?

Essentially in order for both man and trees to survive in this world they rely on the four basic elements: soil, water, air and fire. Besides the obvious literal understanding of the necessities of these elements to man, one can also understand them on a metaphorical level. Soil is man’s roots, his supportive home upbringing that anchors him to family and a strong moral consciousness, giving him the fortitude to withstand all the current winds of change and modernity that will challenge him throughout life. Water is Torah, giving life and vitality to the spiritually thirsty and to lives arid of meaning. Air, breath, is the spirit of God each human has within him. And fire, or warmth, comes from the community so essential to living a fulfilled Torah life. At the core, our needs are not that much different than trees.