Monday, February 20, 2012

Bar Mitzvah Drasha - Long Hair - Dating Yourself

Recently I have been busy writing my son's drasha for his bar mitzvah. The custom in these parts is that the boy says a very complex talmudic pilpul in rapid-fire Hebrew. My goal is that it should be so complex that not only don't the guests understand what he's saying AND he doesn't understand either but ..... even I the writer don't understand what he says. DEEP.

Anyway the topic has been the issue of chatzitza [a halachic interposition] between the tefillin and the head. Two common problems are people with long hair and wet hair.

What hashgacha pratis! I am in shul this morning and I see a young man with an absolutely beautiful mop of hair on his head. It looked liked a 4,000 dollar shaitel. So I said "AHHHHHHH, this is a classic example of what the poskim are talking about when they discuss excessively long hair." I debated whether I should go up to him and tell him that besides the fact the he might not be considered as having tefillin on his head, there is also a possible issue of "beged isha" looking like a woman and "ubichukoseyhem lo teileichu" going in the ways of the gentiles. It is also probably an issue of kibbud av va'eim because most parents are much less than thrilled when their kids grow their hair really long.

But he was davening so nicely and seemed like such a sweet boy. Plus he reminded me of a kid from "The Partridge Family". [I'm really dating myself when I mention that popular show from the 70's. It is so ODD dating myself. I mean, what am I going to talk about? I already know everything about myself. Plus I would only date for marriage and I would never marry myself, in part because I am already married. But at least I know what I enjoy doing on the date. Also, I would always have a date when I wanted one. Ahhhh, "dating yourself". What a novel idea! ]

I didn't say anything.