[Avodah] "Yeshivishe Payes"

[Marty Bluke]

On 6/6/07, Danny Schoemann <doniels at gmail.com> wrote:
> Which doesn't quite match with YD 181:9 which says that the shiur of
> the Paye is from the [top of the] forehead till the [top of the]
> jawbone - and this entire width Lo Siga Bo Yad - shouldn't be touched.

You have to take the shulchan aruch's words lo siga bo yad in the
context of the overall sugya and the rishonim. The Rambam seems to
hold that Min Hatorah, you only violate the issur if you cut off all
the hair, if you leave even 2 hairs you are not chayav. M'drabbanan
you need to leave either 4 or 40 hairs. The Rambam also holds that you
only violate the issur with a razor. I think that it is these 2
Rambam's that the Shulchan Aruch is paskening against when he says Lo
Siga Bo Yad. Namely, don't do like the Rambam and completely cut off
some of the hair there because we are chosheh for the Semag that you
are chayav for even 2 hairs, and don't do like the Rambam and cut off
hair with misparayim k'eyn t'aar because we are chosheh for the Rosh
that even this is assur. Therefore he writes Lo Siga Bo Yad.

However, Lo Siga Bo Yad is not meant to be taken literally that you
cannot cut the hair at all. You can clearly cut the hair when it grows
too long. What is the shiur of hair? In other areas of halacha
(negaim) it is to bend back the hair on itself, therefore you can
certainly cut the hair to a reasonably short length according to the
Shulchan Aruch.