Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Three notes on Shaving and Sfira

During Nissan, we mourn the 24 thousand, not the 6 million: I expect all of you who wrote in yesterday to say that outward signs of mourning are absolutely, totally, and completely forbidden during Nisan have been shaving. You'd be surprised how many of my RW friends unreflectivly give that particular objection to Yom Hashoa even as they scratch at their stubble.

The Beadle, my British buddy, said this: My Rav mentioned this morning that there is no halacha explicitly stating its forbidden to shave during the Omer. I asked him why most frum people don’t do so then, to which he replied that it’s the most noticeable and easiest way to show how frum you are, even if it’s entirely unnecessary. In other words, it is a temporary extension of the black hat.

Naturally, his remarks offend me deeply.

On Friday, don't forget to shave: Men, women, and children are reminded that if they shave for work during the week, they are supposed to shave for shabos as well. Says Aaron Lichtenstein, the Harvard alum who serves as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, "kevod Shabbat takes precedence over mourning customs of the Omer (based on Ta'anit 26b), [therefore] it is not only permissible, but obligatory to shave before Shabbat."

No comments: