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Haircut for husband by a Nida woman

שו”תCategory: HalachaHaircut for husband by a Nida woman
asked 5 years ago

A man whose wife is widowed and cannot get his hair cut by himself, nor can he have another man cut his hair because of the coronavirus crisis. Can he make it easier for his wife to cut his hair with a clipper?
It should be added that there is a point in getting a haircut before the holiday, and also that after the holiday there is a halachic and social prohibition against getting a haircut because of the days of counting (in certain communities until Shavuot).
I would appreciate an answer with sources.


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0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 5 years ago
You can see an overview of the exclusions here: https://www.yeshiva.org.il/wiki/index.php?title=%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%AA_%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%95_%D7%A0%D7%93%D7%94#.D7.94.D7.98.D7.99.D7.A4.D7.95.D7.9C_.D7.91.D7.91.D7.A2.D7.9C_.D7.97.D7.95.D7.9C.D7.94_.D7.A2.D7.9C_.D7.99.D7.93.D7.99_.D7.90.D7.A9.D7.AA.D7.95_.D7.A0.D7.93.D7.94_.28.D7.90.D7.A0.D7.A6.D7.99.D7.A7.D7.9C.D7.95.D7.A4.D7.93.D7.99.D7.94_.D7.94.D7.9C.D7.9B.D7.AA.D7.99.D7.AA_.D7.A8.D7.A4.D7.95.D7.90.D7.99.D7.AA.29 In a patient who is not in danger, some forms of treatment are permitted, preferably with the cessation of clothing (so that there is no contact). A haircut is not a matter of affection, and perhaps there should be some leniency in this as well. But I think that a haircut for the holiday is not something that should be taken lightly. It is not like a sick person who is not in danger, because it is a matter of mitzvah and not a need of the husband.

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אהרן replied 5 years ago

Thank you.

I'm talking about a haircut in a place where the man needs it because of his personal feeling, not just because of the mitzvah.

There's another point here, that a haircut with a hair clipper does not require actual contact, because the woman touches the machine, and the machine touches the man.

מיכי Staff replied 5 years ago

As I wrote, I don't think it's really possible to ban it. But I don't think it's appropriate to do so just because of a holiday haircut. If it's an extreme inconvenience, maybe so.

אהרן replied 5 years ago

And after the holiday, will it be permissible to get a haircut during the days of reckoning?

מיכי Staff replied 5 years ago

If it is very disturbing, then there is room for leniency (the prohibition of a haircut is one of the first and not from the Talmud). In general, it is forbidden to cut a regular haircut that has an aspect of joy, but it is permissible to cut the mustache if it interferes with eating. Likewise, someone whose long hair causes him headaches or has wounds on his head, and I suppose even if it is very disturbing without wounds, is permitted to cut his hair on these days (Shulchan Tikva, 13; Tikva, 8, 42 21, and in the above Ibid).
Remember that this year, the eighth of Iyar falls on Shabbat, and according to Ashkenazi custom, it is permissible to cut his hair on the eve of Shabbat. See 42 57 58. That is why I would wait there, and that is the most convenient.

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