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Again I apologize if anyone here may have been through this before( I have never noticed such a thread in my time reading). Who here celebrates their birthday. Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. If no, why?
It is nice to be recognized and made to feel special on one’s birthday. There is no reason NOT to celebrate.
i absolutly celebrate my birthday
wats the kasha
my family is big into celebrating birthdays! its just fun!
on my birthday i always buy my mother a present along with a card just to thank her for giving birth and for all she does for me through the entire year. not something big but something.
OOOOOOH I DO! I DO!
we celebrate both the hebrew and the english.
I do!
The gemorro speaks about it!
Besides, upsherenish is on the B-Day, Bar and Bas mitzvah is on the B-Day. Its like a personal Rosh Hahsnah!
i do by getting drunk
I celebrate my birthday every year on the thirtieth of February.
The Wolf
Wolf,
I think this year if falls out in Adar Gimmel.
Sender Av:
People that don’t, don’t because the only time the Torah mentions a birthday is in connection to Paroh which gives it a negative connotation.
On the other hand seforim bring down that it is a special time to daven etc. I’ve heard that some rabbonim would fast on their birthdays because it is such a mesugal day for things.
Derech HaMelech ‘the only time the Torah mentions a birthday is in connection with Paroh’
Not strictly true. Its the only direct mention. But of course we know the famous midrash on homon (bang, bang) that he chose adar cos its the month that moshe rabeinu was niftar, but didnt realise that it was also the month that moshe was born in, meaning that birthdays have a special good mazel or koach.
And the Greek army (I think) used to use warriors on the front line whose birthday was that day cos they had extra mazel.
The gemara brings that someone on their birthday who visits a choleh will remove one sixtieth of the illness. Other ppl only take a 60th of a 60th then a 60th of THAT etc etc
Shticky guy. The midrash says it about amolaik in lasts weeks parsha when the attacked us right after we went through the Yam Suf. They sent out the birthday men to fight
IOW, birthday celebrations are distinctly a non-Jewish concept.
I don’t do anything major for it…
birthdays are nice mom always sends me a check its the perfect gift always the right size and color and it never goes out of style
any excuse to party…
cshapiro
Hey! How’s the Europe/Israel trip going?
awesome…tried to further my modeling career in paris but didnt get any go sees :(( so i hopped on a plane to tel aviv and now im waiting for my sister in ben gurion 😉
in london i asked the front desk for a wake up call….he handed me an alarm clock, true story :)!!!!
IOW, birthday celebrations are distinctly a non-Jewish concept.
If you feel so, then by all means, don’t celebrate yours. Just keep in mind that not everyone agrees with you.
The Wolf
Wolf: Indeed. Some people don’t agree with me that keeping Shabbos is mandatory either. (No relation to the birthday issue though.)
Wolf: Indeed. Some people don’t agree with me that keeping Shabbos is mandatory either.
So, are you saying that the prohibition against celebrating birthdays is as clear-cut and a “davar barur” as the prohibition against chillul Shabbos, to the degree that there is no possible room to say otherwise?
The Wolf
I try to get an aliya the day of my birthday. That, and I start the kapitl of Tehilim of the next arriving year
(ex: on my 30th bd, I started kapitl Lamed Alef)
And for the record, many Chassidm (Chabad in particular) make a HUGE deal about a person’s birthday
I try to get an aliya the day of my birthday. That, and I start the kapitl of Tehilim of the next arriving year
i heard of that- i always wanted to know a source although it doesn’t hurt to say tehillim daily but some kapitlach are quite long. Does anyone know a source or is it made up?
And for the record, many Chassidm (Chabad in particular) make a HUGE deal about a person’s birthday
Awwww… you spoiled it! That’s where I was heading with Bed-Stuy. 🙂
The Wolf
we celebrate biirthdays in our home. if its on a friday or shabbos we celebrate all weekend!
mmmm cake!!!!!
Sorry, Wolf. I suspect that Bed Stuy and I have a shared brotherhood (its either Willy or CH) that has us keep a lookout for trouble headed each others way.
Don’t worry; one of us are bound to blink at some point, so you’ll have a 2nd whack at us!
That, and I start the kapitl of Tehilim of the next arriving year
So what do you plan on doing when you reach your 150th birthday?
The Wolf
So what do you plan on doing when you reach your 150th birthday?
Amen to that!
I’ll worry about it then, but seriously, does anyone know a source?
” when you reach your 150th birthday? “
If I (or anyone) make to 149, I suspect that Dovid Hamelech himself will write a special kapitl in honor of the occasion, and Eliyau Hanovi will hand deliver it.
Right now, I’m worried about getting trhu kapitl 119! (truth? That one scares me right now!)
“does anyone know a source?”
No, sorry. I just picked it up one year, after hearing one of the old timers in our shul doing it (he was saying # 80 at the time)
And he was a tried and true Chabad’zker, as it happens
Shticky;
I did not say that there is something wrong with having a birthday. I also pointed out that I heard of gedolim that did do special things on their birthdays. I think the distinction would be whether to make a party on one’s birthday or use it as a day for extra spiritual growth.
I did not say that there is something wrong with having a birthday
I should hope not. Everyone has one once a year… whether they want to have one or not. 🙂
The Wolf
we recognize every family member’s Hebrew & English b-days. altho’ we may not always celebrate it as a group, or with a party, love & good wishes are always sent verbally at the least 🙂
cshapiro
That’s great! Have fun!!
OF COURSE
We celebrate all immediate family member birthdays on the Yiddish date. Growing up my children could pick their “birthday” supper- every one had their same favorite year after year and now my children do it for their children and Bubbie and Zeidy celebrate with special Shabbos parties. A birthday is a time to show hakoras hatov to the Aibeshter for another year of life .The gedolim have always marked special birthdays. Iread that Rav Elyashav and his family paid special attention to his reaching the centennial mark. I always felt the birth of my children to be a special brocho from Hashem. Not everyone is zocheh- so we always made a big deal on their birthdays!
The Ben Ish Chay writes that it was his family’s Minhag to celebrate a birthday. He says that it’s a Siman Tov.
I would love to celebrate my birthday but my family doesn’t like celebrating the English ones and my birthday falls out during the nine days and by the time Tisha B’Av is over everyone forgets about it 🙁
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