Thursday, April 29, 2010
haircuts this Friday
The Rama (493:2) writes that when Lag baOmer falls on Sunday, like it does this year, haircuts and shaves may be taken even on Friday l’kavod Shabbos. What is debatable is whether the same logic holds true for those who observe aveilus of sefirah until Rosh Chodesh Sivan or until shloshes y’mei hagbalah and those days fall on/begin on Sunday. The Pri Megadim holds that the same heter for haircuts/shaves on Friday applies in these cases as well; both R’ Moshe and R’ Elyashiv disagree. R’ Moshe explained that the logic of the Rama is not based on kavod Shabbos in isolation, but rather is baed on kavod Shabbos when placed in context and in contrast with Lag baOmer. It would be halachically unseemly to allow haircuts on Sunday, Lag baOmer, a minor festival, but insist on maintaining an unkempt appearance on Shabbos, which has a far superior level of kedusha. The same logic does not hold true at the end of sefirah. The haircut taken after Rosh Chodesh or the days of hagbalah is not due to those days being celebrated as festivals and standing in contrast to Shabbos, but rather the heter for a haircut is due simply to aveilus having ended (see Shu”T Rivevos Ephraim 6:259). Similarly, where a shloshim period ends on Sunday, there is no heter for a shave or haircut on the preceding Friday.
"The haircut taken after Rosh Chodesh or the days of hagbalah is not due to those days being celebrated as festivals and standing in contrast to Shabbos, but rather the heter for a haircut is due simply to aveilus having ended (see Shu”T Rivevos Ephraim 6:259). Similarly, where a shloshim period ends on Sunday, there is no heter for a shave or haircut on the preceding Friday. "
ReplyDeleteYour are reasoning poorly:
If the heter is purely "the ending of the sefirah" then it should NOT apply to people holding the "pesach - to lag baomer" minhag either. They also are MERELY ending their 'shloshim (vshalos)' too - just like the other guys.
However this lenient opinion for friday is based on the "specialness of LaG Baomer" as a reason for a haircut - if so it then is trumped by shabbos+Lag Baomer.
That is the independent heter being espoused here.
I wrote that the heter is based on Lag BaOmer being a Y"T -- not sure how what you are saying is any different.
ReplyDeleteThe heter for end of sefira is when you hit the ymei hagbalah.
If im not mistaken according to the Rama aveilus on sefira ends on Lag B'omer, and even then when it falls on Sunday we still say one can shave on the preceding Friday. Similarly here where the aveilus is ending on Sunday one should be able to shave on the preceding Friday.
DeleteYour logic of Lag B'omer being a Y"T and that being the reason shaving is allowed on it is only acc to those who hold aveilus passed the day of Lag B'omer. (Mechaber writes until day 34 and other opinion which states until shloshes y'mei hagbala).
This I think is what the first comment was trying to say. Which I happen to think is logical.