[Avodah] Minagim and the Origins of Upsherin

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Apr 10, 2018 at 11:35:39AM -0400, Zev Sero via Avodah wrote:
: On 10/04/18 11:21, Micha Berger via Avodah wrote:
: >(This original version of the minhag has its logic; Shemu'el was a nazir,
: >and he lived in the BHMQ starting at age 3. So you see how he would get
: >associated with a haircut at age 3.

: Shmuel moved in to the mishkan at the age of two, not three.

As per the same discussion in previous years.... That's what the rishonim
run with -- see Rashi and Radaq on the pasuq. Although Rashi says 22 mo
in our girsa, I think the other girsa of 24 mo is more likely, because...

As the Radaq points out, this fits halakhah, that the time a woman
is mish'ubedes to nurse is 24 months.

But while elegent, it is not mukhrach that Chanah kept to the minimum.
(Thinking out loud: The exchange in 1:22-23 fits better if it was about
Chanah not attending an aliyah laregel that was after Shem'el was 2. After
all, why would Elqanah have pushed her to bring ShMemu'el to the mishkan
before it was safe?)

More to the point (and back to repeating myself), there is a machloqes
in the medrash whether Shemu'el lived 52 or 53 years. And since that's
50 years after he was weaned and brought to the Mishkan, it implies a
machloqes about when he moved into the Mishkan.

The minhag was apparently based on the position that he was niftar at 52,
and thus moved into the Mishkan at 3.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 10th day, which is
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