A child's third birthday marks a significant transition in their education. For the first three years of life, a child absorbs what they see and hear in the nurturing environment of their parents. The child is a receiver, not yet ready to give. At the age of three, the child's education takes a leap forward; they are now ready to produce and share their unique experiences.
For a boy, the transition is marked by a ceremony. It is an ancient custom to let a boy's hair grow uncut until the age of three. On his third birthday, friends are invited to a hair-cutting ceremony, called Opsheren in Yiddish and Jalaka by Sephardim. The boy's sideburns (peyot) are left uncut as an initiation into his first mitzvah.
From this point forward, the child is taught to wear a kippah and tzitzit, and gradually, he is trained to recite blessings and the Shema. Now the world begins to benefit from his Torah and mitzvot.
There are days on the calendar when haircuts are not allowed. If a birthday falls on one of these days, the haircut should be postponed until the first appropriate time.
In the case of girls, they begin to light Shabbat candles alongside their mothers.
Great story! You have to experience it!
Yes, we did several here; the photos are in the albums. Even Shlomo's, who already had his bar mitzvah, was done in La Plata.
very clear and didactic