Why Is Shaving with a Razor Forbidden?

"Do not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard" - as written in the Kedoshim portion of the book of Leviticus. This commandment is the basis for various laws regarding shaving, keeping sidelocks, growing a beard, and more. In practice, every observant Jew today avoids shaving with a razor blade, keeps sidelocks at least to the top of the ear cartilage (and sometimes curled sidelocks in front of or behind the ear, as an enhancement), and the most devout also grow beards. So how did we actually get from "do not destroy the edges of your beard" to all of these practices?

"There are several reasons for the prohibition of shaving with a razor," says Rabbi Pinchas Badush. "First, it follows the ways of the Amorites. The priests of idolatry in those times would shave their heads above the sidelock and shave their beards with a razor. Even today, various idolatrous cults practice shaving the head with a razor. Second, Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra wrote that the beard was created for glory. It is the splendor of a person, and therefore should not be destroyed."

According to Rabbi Badush, one may trim facial hair and beard, though not in a destructive manner. "If the machine doesn't remove the hair from its root - it's permissible to shave according to Jewish law, because there is no destruction involved. But according to Kabbalah, it's preferable not to shave at all. Still, each case is unique. For example, young yeshiva students who are entering the dating scene may shave to maintain a younger appearance. Others are strict about not shaving at all. But in terms of halachic prohibition - there is only a prohibition against shaving in a destructive manner."

What exactly destructs the face during shaving?
"Not the face but the beard. The razor removes the hair with its root. This is the destructive method forbidden by the Torah. Shaving with a machine reaches the skin but doesn't extract the hair from its root."

According to the prohibition against rounding the corners of the head, one must leave sidelocks of a certain length and size. If so, why do some Jews grow their sidelocks much longer than required?

"This is actually an enhancement of the commandment. Not only do they not shave their sidelocks - they even lengthen them. This practice is especially common in various Hasidic communities and among Yemenite Jews. It should be noted that sidelocks are not just another area that's forbidden to destroy. Even trimming sidelocks in a non-destructive manner is considered prohibited. A haircut that leaves sidelocks in a form where it's impossible to grasp the hair - about 1.5-2 millimeters in size - is forbidden by the Torah. In Yemen, they called sidelocks 'signs,' and it was a sign of a Jew that distinguished him from others.
"Pointy sidelocks are also considered prohibited. One must leave the sidelock in its entirety until the connection between the upper bone and the lower bone parallel to the ear. This is approximately the edge of the ear, not including the lobe. If you open your mouth - you can feel a kind of depression there."

Rabbi Eli Amar adds the mystical reason and mentions the words of the Kabbalists on the subject. "A person's face is spiritually connected to Hashem. When a person grows a beard, he strengthens this connection. If he shaves with a machine - the connection remains static. But the moment he shaves with a razor - he separates himself in a certain way from his connection to Hashem."

Are all shaving machines "kosher" in this regard?
"Some have said that Philips is the best, and that's true in a way, because these machine models don't really penetrate the flesh with the blade."

If a secular person grows a beard, does that also connect him more to Hashem spiritually?
"Certainly there is some merit in it. First of all, he doesn't shave with a razor, which is already an advantage. But also from an external perspective, the beard appears as 'diokna,' meaning image or likeness. Take the Ben Ish Chai - can you imagine him without a beard? That's not a reality at all. Because the beard is included in the image in a very significant way."

Rabbi Yitzchak Gabai adds and emphasizes that there is damage to the channels of divine abundance even if a person shaves according to Jewish law. "There are people who don't touch the beard at all, because even that is like cutting the plantings, as written in the Zohar," he concludes.