Makos 20a (2). Shiur 07 07 15

Makos 20a (2)

1- We spoke about the two separate (but often mistakenly combined) Halachos pertaining to ‘payos‘ and a beard.

Beard– Concerning the beard the Torah uses the term “shaving”  and ” destroying”. Thus our Gemara states that only when uses a razor (thereby shaving and destroying the hair roots) one is Chayev Malkus.

Cutting or shaving with other instruments has been a point of contention for generations. Many say that there is no Malkus but still prohibited M’Deoraisa. Others say only M’Derabanan while others permit it.

 

All agree that according to the Zohar no method is permitted.

See below on the opinion of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek.

Payos– sideburns- (unlike the beard) there is no mention of shaving at all. The word used in the Torah is “circling”. Meaning to make a complete circle around the skull with no hair which would entail the removal of the Payos.

 

We discussed the Rambam who writes that one needs to leave a minimum of 40 hair strands.

We mentioned the question asked by Rabbi Akiva Eiger as to why one is even allowed to comb (! ) the Payos. A Nazir who is instructed to grow his hair is prohibited from combing it!

The Chasam Sofer (who eventually would become his son-in-law) has a lengthy answer on this.

Of course we all know the opinion of the Tzemach Tzedek who strongly and firmly writes that one should not remove facial hair by any means and method.

Image result for chainsaw

he famously posits that in addition to all the above one who shaves transgresses the prohibition of ‘lo sil’bosh gever’ – one should not dress like a woman (cross dressing).

We went on to discuss the Munkatcher dynasty starting with the illustrious Minchas Elazar, to his controversial son-in-law

Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinowicz father of the current  Munkatcher Rebbe.

In a first class irony, the Minchas Elazar, who was prior to WWII, the leading opponent against Zionism had a single daughter who married Reb Baruch Yehoshua Yerachmiel Rabinowicz who to everyone’s surprise became an ardent religious Zionist!
(Thus the humorous saying that there are three Munkatcher Rebbes…)

Moshe Rosenfeld has suggested these valuable links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbfC949G17U

https://sites.google.com/site/binatnevonim/home/shana

 and a fascinating article from 1934:

 http://www.jta.org/1934/09/28/archive/the-bulletins-day-book-174#ixzz3Mo0QYh9F

Our discussion of the above pertains to a particular letter written by the Minchas Elazar in regard to a beard.  In short- a Torah periodical published multiple articles on this topic. The Minchas Elazar wrote to the journal stating his opinion of a strict prohibition to shaving with any any type of shave; adding the opinion of the Tzemach Tzedek.

וילקט יוסף - ט - יוסף בן נפתלי הכהן שווארץ

Some smart-aleck submitted a response in which he writes with total disrespect about the Tzemach Tzedek.

The Minchas Elazar strongly rebukes the writer (as the Rebbe once wrote that the method of the Minchas Elazar was “storm and hurricane”) and urges him to ask forgiveness from the Tzemach Tzedek. Open the link– bottom of the first column- it’s a good read with story of the Tzemach Tzedek about his mesiras nefesh for the mitzvah of wearing a beard.

He continues that the writer is apparently angry at Rabonim in general as we see this opposition to the Rabbis opinion in regard to the Status Quo Ante story.

Thanks to Mendel Nemenov for the link. Hebrew.

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