A Cut Above: Keeping Haircuts Kosher

Rabbi Shay Tahan

Lag BaOmer, Klal Yisrael runs for haircuts and shaving, and it’s a good opportunity to review some of those halachot. Just as one must eat kosher food, he must also ensure that his haircut and shaving are kosher. It should also be noted that while many begin taking haircuts on Lag BaOmer, Sepharadim have the custom to wait until the following day, ל״ד בעומר (the 34th day of the Omer), before doing so.

What Makes a Haircut Kosher?

The Torah states that one may not cut the hair in a way that involves “לא תקיפו פאת ראשכם”—not rounding off the corners of the head (the peyot). This prohibits removing the sideburn areas in a manner that creates a rounded, uniform hairline from the front of the head to the back.

In this article, we will clarify the exact location of the prohibition of cutting the sideburns (peyot): where it begins, its boundaries from top to bottom, and the minimum length of hair that must be left.

Where the Peyot Begin (Top boundary):

If you draw an imaginary line from where the hairline of the forehead ends, straight back to where the hair behind the ear ends, everything from that line and downward is included in the peyot area.

From that point down, one must be careful not to remove the hair in a way that would violate the prohibition.

Where the Peyot End (Bottom):

The peyot extend downward from that line until the area of the ear. There are different opinions as to exactly how far: some say until the middle, and others hold until the bottom of the ear (the earlobe).

The Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 181) writes that one may not cut the hair until the point where the ear ends. Rav Nissim Karelitz explained that this refers specifically to the opening in the middle of the ear; areas beyond that are not considered part of the ear.

Others understand that it extends until the end of the ear—across the point where the earlobe meets and separates from the face. A third view is more stringent and holds that the peyot extend even lower, continuing across the entire width of the earlobe.

Practically, many are lenient to follow the first opinion and measure only until the opening in the middle of the ear.

Minimum Length of the Peyot

There are three opinions regarding the minimum length of hair that must be left in the peyot. One opinion holds that each hair must be long enough to be bent back toward its root. A second, more lenient view requires leaving only enough hair that can be grasped with one’s fingernails. A third opinion maintains that any amount of hair that can be cut with scissors is sufficient.

The Rosh writes that one should follow the most stringent opinion, since this involves a doubt in a Torah prohibition.

Practically, these measurements can be understood in terms of clipper guards. According to Rav Elyashiv, one should leave at least about 5 mm, which is approximately a #1.5 guard. Rav Dovid Feinstein (Vedibarta Bam, p. 601) held that lechatchilah one should leave no less than 6.3 mm, roughly a #2 guard. In a pressing situation, one may be lenient with about 3.2 mm, which is around a #1 guard. The Mishnah Berurah (Biur Halacha 251) permits, bedieved, leaving even a very minimal amount.

Amount of Hair

The amount of hair that must be removed in order to violate the prohibition is a matter of dispute among the poskim. The Rambam holds that one does not violate the prohibition as long as approximately 40 hairs remain in the sideburn area. The Smag (Sefer Mitzvot Gadol), however, holds that even removing two hairs already constitutes a violation.

Practically, the halacha appears to follow the more stringent view, as the Shulchan Aruch writes that one may not remove hair from that area at all, indicating that even minimal removal is included in the prohibition.

Common Mistakes:

Many barbers use a razor or finishing machine at the end of a haircut to clean up and round the hair around the ear to make it look neat. By doing so, they may be violating the prohibition of removing the peyot.

Not only the barber, but also the person receiving the haircut is in violation. The Torah uses a plural form  לא תקיפו to teach that the prohibition applies both to the one cutting and the one being cut.

Therefore, it is important to clearly instruct the barber beforehand not to use a razor or very close machine around the ear, and to use only scissors (or a permitted length with clippers) in that area.