barlshwartz1

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  • in reply to: Married Women Shaving Their Hair Off #2017971
    barlshwartz1
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    Vaad Arba Aratzos as source for the minhag is brought in Mishna Halochos Chelek 12, siman 95. As a historical aside the Vaad handled all communal matters, including takonos for religious standards. It was run by rabbonim, not askonim.

    Source in Zohar to shave after yemei niddah is Parshas Achrei Mos, (chelek Gimel) daf 79a. It is very clearly mashma that this refers to shaving the head to bald. How the Ari says in Shaar HaMitzvos seems to be a stirah with this part of the Zohar, but if you look inside it’s very clear.

    in reply to: Married Women Shaving Their Hair Off #2017973
    barlshwartz1
    Participant

    @always_ask_questions This is the later standard. Once upon a time, that was four places. Eastern Europe’s geography changed constantly.

    in reply to: Married Women Shaving Their Hair Off #2016844
    barlshwartz1
    Participant

    It’s not a Hungarian specific minhag, nor is it related to pogroms and women being violated, rachmono litzlon. Married women shaving their heads is a takana from the Vaad HaArba Aratzos from 500 or so years ago, due to concerns of chatzitza and women’s hair being completely covered, as explained in the Zohar HaKodosh Chelek Gimel, 256a, plain Zohar not Raya Meheimna that one strand of a woman’s hair being revealed is a great tragedy and brings destruction to herself and those around her, bringing connection to Lil-.

    Amazing how all the experts here on minhagim and the reason why chassidish women shave their heads seem to base their entire reasoning why it was or wasn’t a thing on external violence being applied to Klal Yisroel, and photographs from well after the beginning of the Haskalah, which led to the change of countless ancient minhagim outside of very chassidish circles. Women in all lands governed by the Vaad followed this takanah, including Poland, Lita, Hungary, Bukovina, Ukraine, and Russia. I know also a Sefardi talmid chochom and mekubal whose wife shaves her head al pi Kabbalah. Though there is this Ari in Shaar HaMitzvos addressing why women should perhaps keep their hair, the Zohar in Chelek Gimel, can’t recall daf at this time, states that women must cut off the hair and fingernails that grew during the yemei niddah, which l’maaseh would be accomplished by shaving the head since hair grows from the roots and not from the ends of your hair. Maybe the oilem here should spend more time learning and doing proper research into the mekoros for our minhagim hakedoshim rather than just shmeesen in the kave shtibl.

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