[Avodah] "Yeshivishe Payes"

[Marty Bluke]

With regards to the length of payists, the poskim point out that the
shiur of hair in general is to bend back the hair on itself, about a
half a centimeter. In other words, al pi din, there is absolutely no
source for long payists (e.g. to grow each hair long). Each hair has
to be a 1/2 centimeter long, that is it. There is no chiyuv al pi din
whatsoever to grow each hair long enough to tuck it behind your ears.

What really gets me is people who have payists behinds their ears
while shaving/cutting their sideburns (really their payists) in the
middle of the ear. The simple reading of the shulchan aruch is that
payists extend to below the ear, by shaving them in the middle of the
ear they are going against the simple reading of the shulchan aruch,
while by having payists behind their ears, they are accomplishing
nothing al pi din.

Some want to say that growing each hair long is a hidur mitzva,
however this is very difficult. Payists is a lav, by a lav it is
difficult to say there is such a thing as hidur mitzva. Either you
violated the din or you didn't. If you didn't violate the din what
exactly is a hidur going to do. Others explain that it is done as a
siman, especially for little kids.