[Avodah] Is It Forbidden to Use an Electric Shaver?

[Micha Berger]

I had a chavrusah with a R' Breuer's grandson, and got from him what his
grandfather told him when he started shaving.

I mention this every iterations.

There are two approaches to understanding why one can cut one's beard
with shavers, which impacts the comparison between electric shavers
and scissors.

1- The issur is a gezeiras hakasuv that simply doesn't include two-blade
action. 

If so, all rotary razors are mutar, as their blades can't cut anything
without the screen. It really is two current surfaces. RYB did not believe
this was true of most straight shavers, where the screen is more literally
a screen -- just protects the face from getting cut up.

2- The issur relates to how close one cuts the hair, and two-blade
cutting means that one can't be cutting closer than the width of the
nearer blade.

In which case, straight shavers would be mutar, but rotaries that have
a lift-and-cut or other tricks to pull the hair so that it is cut at a
level that is usually very close or below skin level would not.

RYF told his grandson to avoid the machloqes by using a rotary without
such tricks.

Norelco/Phillips doesn't make any anymore, but Remington does as do
many non-name-brand models. And if you do have a Norelco, it isn't that
hard to snap off the "lifters". I also wonder if you couldn't find cheap
repacement blades (eBay?) not made by Norelco that lack the gimick.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Man is capable of changing the world for the
micha at aishdas.org        better if possible, and of changing himself for
http://www.aishdas.org   the better if necessary.
Fax: (270) 514-1507            - Victor Frankl, Man's search for Meaning