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WHAT???? I grew up celebrating birthdays~! My Mom (R.I.P.) always had birthday parties for me as a kid. And as an adult she would treat me to lunch. I miss her
Not that anyone would pay attention to Josephus, but he said Jews don't keep birthdays because it always seems to be a reason to get drunk and party, I know right, what a buzz kill.
I'd consider this offensive statement. But that's nothing new either.
True Self in physical body is immortal. It has no birth date. There is really nothing to celebrate from that standpoint. Physical body comes and goes. You don't celebrate passing of rain, do you?
I just watched a documentary about a couple who survived the death camps, and they were celebrating his 90th birthday. Personally, I think he earned the right to, if he wants, and to give HaShem the praise for making it that far though so much. But that's just my opinion. Peace
The Torah mentions Abraham hosting a feast to celebrate Isaac’s weaning (Genesis 21:8). For this reason, many traditional Jews celebrate on the 2nd or 3rd birthday.
Other special birthdays include turning 3, when many traditional Jews cut a son’s hair for the first time — a practice referred to as upsheren.
Age 13 - the age of bar/bat mitzvah. (Traditionally, many girls marked their bat mitzvah at age 12.)
Pirke Avot (5:21) specifies several milestone birthdays:
5 for the study of the Torah;
10 for the study of the Mishnah;
13 for the commandments;
15 for the study of Talmud;
18 for marriage;
20 for earning a living;
30 for power;
40 for understanding;
50 for giving advice;
60 for old age;
70 for grey hairs;
80 for special strength;
90 for bowed back;
100 – it is as if he had died and passed away.
The Hasidic group Chabad encourages Jews to mark their Hebrew birthdays by having an aliyah (being called to the Torah), reading psalms (including the psalm number associated with their new age), reflecting on the past year and making a donation to tzedakah (charity).
Last edited by tracirose14; 12-17-2021 at 12:14 PM..
Reason: Typos
While it's good that we have yahrzeit dates for the remembrance of loved ones who have passed on, I'm pleased that the living among us have Jewish birthdays. For anyone here who doesn't know the month and day in the Hebrew calendar for your birthday, here is a calculator to help you find your Jewish birthday:
i pay attention to the Tehillim that corresponds to year i am living, which is my age plus one.
for instance i just turned 63, so I am living in my 64th year, so the tehillim for me is 64.
but i don't celebrate my birthday in any way. Other than using it as an excuse to take a day off of work! I didn't even know that was a thing until i was in my late 40s, and a manager at work who was probably in her 50s said she had never worked on her birthday EVER, she ALWAYS took the day off. So the past few years I've been doing that. I was a state employee for a few years, and one of the annual holidays, in addition to the fixed holidays that everyone got, was "your birthday." I thought that was pretty neat.
i also pay attention to the Torah portion each year for the week of my secular birthday. and to the Torah portion which corresponds to the week when i was actually born. that has significance for my whole life. (for me that is Miketz.)
Last edited by Tzaphkiel; 12-18-2021 at 08:28 PM..
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