An upsherin isn’t just a third birthday party, it also isn’t just about the haircut…. It’s one of the most emotional and symbolic traditions we have in Yiddishkeit.

On the boy’s third birthday there’s a custom called Cheder Feeren, where the little boy is wrapped in a tallis and taken to cheder for the very first time.

Our tradition is that the mother brings the child into cheder, symbolizing the central role a mother plays in planting and nurturing Torah within her children.

In Cheder the Rebbe begins teaching him the Aleph Beis and places honey on the letters, especially the letters אמת, אמת meaning truth, because Torah is truth. The child licks the honey from the letters to symbolize that Torah is sweet. Then there’s singing, dancing, a lechaim, and the little boy hands out pekelech to the class.

Wholesome and pure. Sweetness in every sense of the word. And today being Erev Shavuos, it felt even more special and appropriate. ♥️