We are delighted to announce a Live Chat Event.

Hosted by: Rabbi Y. Kacev
Topic: A Jewish Haircut?
A class discussing the prohibition of "not following in the ways of the nations". Does it affect the way we dress, cut our hair or name our children? What about celebrating holidays such as Thanksgiving and mothers day?
Date: Sunday, February 5
Time: 7:00pm (EST)
Location: Torah Chat Room

Looking forward to 'seeing' you there!

B"H
Speaking on hair-cuts, the Jews of San'a (Yemen), as in the remote villages, have always practiced shaving their heads with razors on each Friday, before the Sabbath, leaving only their side-locks and beards. Their heads were shaven bald, whether child or aged man. This practice is old, once being the custom of the Jews of Tiberius and of Sipporayim in Galilee to do the same, as is attested by Midrash Rabba (Numbers Rabba 9:24). This practice was observed out of the honour due to the Sabbath day, and even overruled the prohibition of shaving one's head on the days of counting the `Omer. For, in Yemen, it was a rule unbreachable to shave one's head each Friday, even during the days of counting the Omer.

I also remember reading somewhere in the Midrash Rabba how that the people of Israel (Jews) were recognizable by their dress and their hair-style, which saying seems to underscore how we were once DIFFERENT from non-Jews.
This being the case, that famous dictum "Bechukotehem Lo Telekhu" would apply here,and we ought to emulate the customs of our forefathers. European Jewry, as well as Yemenite Jews, grew their side-locks. This practice was not seen very much among Sephardic Jews. The question is, should they be required to grow long their side-locks as a first resort? Or should they be allowed to cut them short with a pair of scissors?

Sincerely,
David Ben-Abraham

If I cannot be online at that time, will there be a transcript I could read afterwards?

Thank you,
Saul Resnikoff

For those who cannot make it, please contact me by E-mail and I will try to send you a transcript or summary of the class.

I am sorry I missed the class because I had a question. Perhaps someone could answer it for me now. But what I want to ask about is not a haircut.

I thought that Samson had seven dreadlocks. Is that true? If so, if a Jewish man made Nazarite vows and doesn't cut his hair, and has dreadlocks, but keeps them covered, is that OK or is that following after the ways of the nations? Although it is very unusual in the nations.

Raybin, at this current point in time it is practically impossible to take a nazarite vow while remaining within the context of halacha.

A nazir will vow to abstain from the specified things- grapes and grape products, cutting hair, and being contaminated by death- (all of which have intricate halachos for the various types of nazerous)-for an amount of time that he vows. After his vow, he is required to bring a korbon chatos, (sin sacrifice) to complete his nazerous.

In this day and age there are several problems with this- we are not permitted to bring korbonos without the beis hamikdash- thus the nazerous would never be completed until the beis hamikdash would be rebuilt and the person who takes a vow of nazerous would have to remain under the vow for an unspecified amount of time. Secondly, I believe it says that outside of eretz yisroel the ground is considered tamei, impure, and thus one who takes a vow of nazerous must restart his vow when he comes to eretz yisroel as if he had never started his vow in the first place. I believe there is a story in the gemora of a Queen who vowed to be a nazirah for 7 years outside of eretz yisroel- but when she came to eretz yisroel she had to restart her vow again in yisroel. Thus, it appears to me that if someone takes a vow for an unspecified amount of time- until the beis hamikdash is rebuilt, and they are outside of eretz yisroel- they wont even have a designated time span in which to begin and complete the vow...
Also, not only men are allowed to become a nazir, but also women- for women, the dreadlocks would seemingly be completely out of the question- as a married woman is required to undergo the procedure of mikveh at various points throughout the year. One of the halachos of toiveling is that there shouldnt be a chatzitzah- a seperation between the water and each part of the body. When hair is gathered all together in a matted mess, a chatzitzah is the obvious outcome- thus creating an unacceptable hairdo for tvilah. As for men, it also is a standard for men to go to mikveh before yom kippur or before they get married, or if they are chasidishe- every morning. I am not completely sure that hilchos tvilah are the same for men and women when it comes to chatzitzos, but perhaps someone can shed light on the issue.


(as usual, if any of the information is incorrect or badly worded- please feel free to correct!)

B"H
Raybin,

While what Bracha has written in the post before this one is, both, pertinent and true, I know a person who has taken upon himself "Nazir Shimshon," and because he cannot fulfill all the halachic ramifications connected with this vow (specifically, to bring a korban after the 30-day period of making his vow), he must therefore remain in such a state all his life, with his hair outgrown and disheveled, without shaving it until he dies. He usually tucks his hair under a big hat. Even though he might have unwantonly contracted corpse defilement, he still continues to be cautioned about such things, and will not drink wine.

From him, I was able to learn that although one cannot fulfill his duty in the proper way prescribed for such vows, his vow is still a vow.

David

So dreadlocks are not OK? I thought Samson had them. Did he?

quote:

Originally posted by Raybin:
So dreadlocks are not OK? I thought Samson had them. Did he?

Raybin,

I think a distinction has to be made here. When Bracha wrote about dreadlocks, she was speaking about a woman who took upon herself a "Nazirite vow." Bracha wanted to say that since women must comb their hair before immersing themselves in a "mikveh," this would be feasibly impossible had she grown dreadlocks. But, really, the question is not a question. Most women grew long hair, in the first place, making them different from men. Their hair usually did not grow to resemble ropelike locks, as Samson's hair, since he was a Nazir from his birth to his death. Though, with them also applies the law not to shave their hair until they conclude the days of their Nazirite vow, this poses no problem for them as far as their hair developing tangles and knots in that short period. For the usual period of such vows is only thirty days, and then he or she must shave their hair.

David

quote:

Originally posted by David Ben-Abraham:
B"H
Raybin,

While what Bracha has written in the post before this one is, both, pertinent and true, I know a person who has taken upon himself "Nazir Shimshon," and because he cannot fulfill all the halachic ramifications connected with this vow (specifically, to bring a korban after the 30-day period of making his vow), he must therefore remain in such a state all his life, with his hair outgrown and disheveled, without shaving it until he dies. He usually tucks his hair under a big hat. Even though he might have unwantonly contracted corpse defilement, he still continues to be cautioned about such things, and will not drink wine.

From him, I was able to learn that although one cannot fulfill his duty in the proper way prescribed for such vows, his vow is still a vow.

David

isnt there a type of nazir that can cut his hair once a year? if i recall correctly there are like four different types of nazerous no? nazir shimshon, nazir olam... what else? Do you know the specifics david?

quote:

Originally posted by Bracha:
Isn't there a type of nazir that can cut his hair once a year? If I recall correctly, there are like four different types of nazerous no? nazir shimshon, nazir olam... what else? Do you know the specifics David?

Bracha, Shalom!

I had to refer back to Rambam for the answer to your question, but when I made a quick search there (in Hilchos Nazirus) on http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/0.htm , I could find only two different kinds of Nazir - 1) נזיר שמשון and 2) נזיר עולם.
It was the "Nazir Olam" who could shave his hair under certain conditions (e.g. when the hair got to be too heavy).

David

quote:

Originally posted by Gila:
Topic: A Jewish Haircut?
A class discussing the prohibition of "not following in the ways of the nations". Does it affect the way we dress, cut our hair or name our children? What about celebrating holidays such as Thanksgiving and mothers day?

Okay, there were plenty of answers relating to hair. But what about secular holidays which do not detract from Judaism, but in fact might enhance it, i.e. the ten commandments? Mother's Day (and Father's Day) for example, honors our parents as in the fifth commandment.
Thanksgiving allows us to give thanks to our God as he has commanded us on numerous occasions. I don't see the problem here.

quote:

Originally posted by Hawke

Okay, there were plenty of answers relating to hair. But what about secular holidays which do not detract from Judaism, but in fact might enhance it, i.e. the ten commandments? Mother's Day (and Father's Day) for example, honors our parents as in the fifth commandment.
Thanksgiving allows us to give thanks to our God as he has commanded us on numerous occasions. I don't see the problem here.

You can check out the shiur synopsis. That question was discussed there.

quote:

Originally posted by David Ben-Abraham:

quote:

Originally posted by Bracha:
Isn't there a type of nazir that can cut his hair once a year? If I recall correctly, there are like four different types of nazerous no? nazir shimshon, nazir olam... what else? Do you know the specifics David?

Bracha, Shalom!

I had to refer back to Rambam for the answer to your question, but when I made a quick search there (in Hilchos Nazirus) on http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/0.htm , I could find only two different kinds of Nazir - 1) נזיר שמשון and 2) נזיר עולם.
It was the "Nazir Olam" who could shave his hair under certain conditions (e.g. when the hair got to be too heavy).

David

Ok I'm kind of late. Thought this might be useful.

There are four types of Nezirut:

Nazir Stam (Standard Nezirut) = 30 days. This is the most common form which unfortunately cannot be applied without a temple. Many individuals took this vow, the story of the Nazir who was kissed on his head by Shimon HaTzadik Cohen HaGadol was a nazir Stam.

Nazir Olam (Nazir forever) = This nazir is forever, however the one who takes it may cut his hair once a year, but he must bring sacrifices, so without the Temple this is also not possible. Shmuel Hanavi was a nazir Olam

Nazir LeOlam (Nazir [consecutively] forever) = This nazir is forever, however he must bring sacrifices every 30 days and shave his head. It's basically a Nazir stam forever.

Nazir Shimshon = Named after Shimshon HaGibor ben Manoach, the judge. This Nezirut is also forever, differece from Nezirut Olam is that this individual can never cut his hair and he can become impure to the dead. So he can go to Uman on Rosh Hashan As regarding Tumat Metim he/ she is just like any other Israel. So the nations of the world aren't a problem and grave sites are also not a problem.

Shimshon had seven locks. Nobody really knows [if you find a source please share] what that means. It doesn't necessarily mean that he had dreadlocks, he might have just tied them together like that.

Any case, a nazir doesn't have to have dreadlocks, and from what I understand he/she shouldn't really play with his/her hair.

However, Rambam (the source for most of this info, the other source being Masechet Nazir) stats that not combing the hair is a positive Mitzvah of leaving your hair wild. There might be therefore room for a Nezirah to comb her hair for Mikveh.

As we know that Shimshon's mother was a Nezirah and no doubt she went to the Mikveh, just like every other holy Jewish woman.

I hope this info helped clarify some issues, and that it didn't come at the wrong time.

H' itchem.

Amichai



Nazir Olam =

quote:

Nazir Shimshon = Named after Shimshon HaGibor ben Manoach, the judge. This Nezirut is also forever, differece from Nezirut Olam is that this individual can never cut his hair and he can become impure to the dead.

When I asked a rabbi about this it was pointed out that killing plishti with the jawbone of an ox might be consistent with not actually touching their corpses.

quote:

As we know that Shimshon's mother was a Nezirah

What is your source for how we know this?

About Shimshon using, a jawbone to kill the Plishtim that might work. I'm not sure if a bone receives Tumah, I thought it did.

This is how the rabbis conclude that Shmuel HaNavi was a Nazir Olam (who cannot defile himself to the dead) even though he beheaded Agag, the Amaleki. He used a spear, where the handle was out of something that didn't contract tumah.

However, the Gemarrah comes to the conclusion that he could defile himself to the dead, because he took their coats after he killed them. And it's clear that they were dead while he took them. The Gemarrah also argued on this point I believe, arguing that maybe they were still alive...barely. However the conclusion is that they were dead.

About Shimshon's mother being a Nezirah. See the the Tanach, Shoftim.

She was commanded to keep all the laws of Nezirut, so that Shimshon would be a nazir from the womb.

And then his father was commanded the same.

From there we also learn, that a child is best taught by example.

You want your child to be a good person, make sure you're one.

quote:

About Shimshon's mother being a Nezirah. See the the Tanach, Shoftim.

She was commanded to keep all the laws of Nezirut, so that Shimshon would be a nazir from the womb.

Yes, but I read that to mean only while she was (that is starting only with being) pregnant with Shimshon.

Your statement I thought meant that she had been a Nazir even before the angel's first visit.

Thank you for clarifying.

No. Shimshon's mother wasn't a Nezira before the angel came to her.

The only women who we know of being a Nezira for 21 years was, Queen Helena. She was a queen ( I don't know of what Kingdom) who converted to Judaism. Her son I think also did.

When he went to war, she swore that she become a Nezirah for seven years if her son would come back in peace. So he came back in peace, and she became a nezirah for seven years.

Then she made alyiah, and Hillel told her that her nezirut outside Israel was invalid, and tat she would have to keep it another seven years. On the seventh year, she became tamei (impurer) and had to keep it another seven years. So in total 21 years.

This is from Massechet Nazir in the Gemarrah.

I also read (but it might be wrong), that the Nazir of Yerushalym, made his kids be Nezirim. His son, Rav Aryeh Yashuv, Chief Rabbi of Haifa and his daughter, don't remember her name, the wife of Rabbi Goren (former Chief Army Rabbi). But they annulled their vows when they became older.