What Does a Kosher Jewish Haircut Look Like?

In the 1980s, our young men grew what was called a "ponytail," in the 1990s the "step cut" ruled, and today many boys cut the hair on the sides and leave only a crest in the middle, in what I call a "donkey haircut" (or mohawk, as it's commonly known). Many fashion trends have come and gone when it comes to haircuts and hairstyles, and although sometimes it seems like it's just fashion (usually ugly, but still fashion) - it turns out that according to Judaism, there are significant issues with this. And not just from one angle. So what exactly is a Jewish haircut?

"There are three main prohibitions that guide us regarding Jewish haircuts," says Rabbi Gad Lior. "The first prohibition is 'do not round off the corner of your head' - an explicit commandment from the Torah. It is forbidden for a person to shave the temples, meaning the sidelocks (peyot), in any way. It is forbidden to remove them in any form, neither with a razor nor with an electric shaver. There is a dispute about the minimum length of hair that must be left in that place, but in any case, one must leave a minimum of half a centimeter. The area of the peyot is essentially the area from the hairline to the middle of the ear.

"Another prohibition from the Torah is that a man shall not wear a woman's garment. Under this heading is included anything distinctly feminine. Therefore, it is stated in Jewish law that a man is forbidden, for example, to dye his hair in various ways, since this is considered a women's practice."

What about growing hair?

"If it's a distinctly feminine hairstyle - it's forbidden. But most men today don't grow hair in a feminine way, including blow-drying, special hairstyles, etc. The Torah teaches us that men and women should look like members of their gender - men as men and women as women.

"The third section includes hairstyles that follow non-Jewish customs, and even display arrogance and vanity. There are three examples in the Shulchan Aruch: not to grow the 'tzitzit' of one's head, meaning not to grow long hair as women do. Some authorities say that 'tzitzit of one's head' refers to a mohawk-like hairstyle; the second prohibition is not to shave the sides and leave hair in the middle, which is actually the common hairstyle of young people today; the third thing is to shave the entire head and grow wild hair at the back, meaning short with a kind of tail at the back. A forelock (blond or otherwise) is also forbidden, since this too appears to be vain."

Most people today have bangs that are slightly longer than the rest of their hair, is that also problematic?

"No, the Shulchan Aruch speaks of a large and very prominent forelock. The guiding principle in what the Rambam writes is that a person should look clean and orderly, and not get haircuts in a way that displays arrogance and vanity."

What about people who are balding and then shave their entire head?

"There is no problem shaving the entire head even with a razor, except for the peyot on the sides. That's a Torah-level issue. What you can do is get a very short haircut, not at zero length, but leave the entire head with hair half a centimeter long. That way there won't be a problem."

Why not remove the peyot? It seems like the least understandable prohibition.

"It may have been a distinctive haircut of idol worshippers in the past, but according to Kabbalah - there are deeper reasons. In the writings of the Arizal, it states that the hair of the peyot symbolizes kindness. By the way, Hasidim and many Jews grow long peyot despite this not being written anywhere. But this is how Hasidim show that the Torah forbids shaving them, and not only do we not shave them - we grow them long and make it part of our appearance. The Ben Ish Chai wrote that noticeable and visible peyot are like witnesses testifying that the person is Jewish."

The bottom line, says Rabbi Lior, is that a haircut should not be used to draw attention or display pride like a rooster showing off its comb. "Precisely when you have a regular and simple haircut - it shows humility and submission, and also significantly influences a person's behavior."