Mazl Tov for Shmuel Ben Eliezer!!!

This is Devar Torah of Shmuel Ben Eliezer for birth of his grandson,

"First of all let me wish a hearty Mazal tov to Tzippy, Shlomo, Ariela and the  rest of the family and many friends.

 

There is a tradition amongst Ashkenazik communities to have a Shalom Zachor, a special "meal," on the first Friday night of a newborn boy's life. This Friday night celebration accordingly always proceeds the Brit Milah. Which is performed on the eighth day at the earliest and always has a Shabbat between the birth and the Brit.

The Rema in the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, (Yoreh De'ah 265:12) writes: It is customary to make a festive meal on the Shabbos eve after the birth of a baby boy. . . and this meal is a Se'udas Mitzvah (a meal conducted in conjunction with the performance of a Mitzvah). The only time when this custom is not followed is when the first leil Shabbat fll out on Yom Kippur or on the firs night of Pesach. On Yom Kippur because it is a fast day and the Shalom Zachor does not supersede the fast (unlike a brit that is performed on Yom Kippur) and on leil seder because we are not allowed to eat after the Afikoman.

Many people think of the Shalom Zachor as a celebration of the birth of the newborn but according to the TAZ it is actually a time of mourning. Commentating on the Above ReMa he quotes from Nidah 30 where it talks about how a fetus is taught the whole Torah while in the mothers womb. Just as the baby leaves the womb an angel touches the baby on the upper lip creating the dimple) and the baby forgets everything it has learned. Since a person that has no Torah is like a dead person we visit the child or his parents and relatives as we visit someone in aveilut (mourning).

The visitation is called Zachor in the hope that the child will remember all that he has forgotten when he was born. The meal is performed on Shabbat because of the word Zachor that symbolizes Shabbat as we are commanded to ’remember the Shabbat and keep it Holy’.

The Eitz Yosef explained that all the child is exposed to impacts him. The child is exposed to a gathering in which we are to remember the Torah study of the child and therefore attempt to inspire the child to take action: to spend his life involved in Torah, engaged in reclaiming his portion of the Torah. This meal, the Se'udas Zachar or the Shalom Zachar, is not merely an occasion on which we eat, drink, and celebrate the birth of a baby boy. It is our opportunity to impress upon the newborn what he must accomplish in his life, by recalling the treasure he lost so that he is inspired to find it.

Once again Mazal Tov and wishing brachot of having the Brit b'Zman, Pidyon and Torah, Chupah, uMaasim Tovim."

Mazl Tov and thank you for letting me to share those words on my blog!