Upsherin Audio

This class explores the reasons and sources for the custom of celebrating a Jewish boy’s first haircut – an Upsherin.

What is an upsherin, and what’s the message behind this ceremonious haircut? What transformation occurs at a bar or bat mitzvah, and how can we tap into this new energy?

In the verse Leviticus 13:33, the word "v'hitgalach" meaning "he shall shave" has a large-sized letter gimmel. The letter gimmel is numerically equivalent to the number 3. What is the connection between the number three, Biblical leprosy, removing hair, and the time of the Omer count?