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Shaving on Chol Hamoed: Difference between revisions
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The rabbis forbade shaving on Chol Hamoed so that a people make sure to shave before Chol Hamoed.<ref>Moed Katan 13b</ref> It is a mitzvah to shave in preparation on Yom Tov but as is often the case people get busy and procrastinate. If it were permissible to shave on Chol Hamoed people might delay and not shave before Yom Tov and wait for Chol Hamoed. Since it is a mitzvah to shave in preparation on Yom Tov in order to ensure that people do this, the rabbis forbade doing so on Chol Hamoed. | The rabbis forbade shaving on Chol Hamoed so that a people make sure to shave before Chol Hamoed.<ref>Moed Katan 13b</ref> It is a mitzvah to shave in preparation on Yom Tov but as is often the case people get busy and procrastinate. If it were permissible to shave on Chol Hamoed people might delay and not shave before Yom Tov and wait for Chol Hamoed. Since it is a mitzvah to shave in preparation on Yom Tov in order to ensure that people do this, the rabbis forbade doing so on Chol Hamoed. | ||
Tosfot<ref>Moed Katan (14a s.v. vshaar and s.v. vmenudah)</ref> wonders why Chazal needed to enact this restriction; shouldn't shaving be forbidden because shaving involves melacha and melacha is forbidden on Chol Hamoed?<ref>In fact, Tosfot's first comment is that shaving is melacha and permitted for tzorech hamoed. However, in his second answer (according to the emendation of the Bach) it isn't a melacha but it is a tircha. Even so, it should be forbidden because tircha is forbidden on Chol Hamoed, but is permitted because of tzorech hamoed.</ref> Tosfot answers that it isn't an issue of melacha on Chol Hamoed since it is a tzorech hamoed to cut one's hair on Chol Hamoed. Ritva<ref>14a s.v. vshaar</ref> answers that shaving makes a person's body look presentable and doing melacha to make oneself like nice is similar to ochel nefesh (preparing food). Just like it is permitted to do melacha to prepare food for one's health and physical pleasure, so too is it permitted to do melacha to beatify one's body. | Tosfot<ref>Moed Katan (14a s.v. vshaar and s.v. vmenudah)</ref> wonders why Chazal needed to enact this restriction; shouldn't shaving be forbidden because shaving involves melacha and melacha is forbidden on Chol Hamoed?<ref>In fact, Tosfot's first comment is that shaving is melacha and permitted for tzorech hamoed. However, in his second answer (according to the emendation of the Bach) it isn't a melacha but it is a tircha. Even so, it should be forbidden because tircha is forbidden on Chol Hamoed, but is permitted because of tzorech hamoed.</ref> Tosfot answers that it isn't an issue of melacha on Chol Hamoed since it is a tzorech hamoed to cut one's hair on Chol Hamoed. Ritva<ref>14a s.v. vshaar</ref> answers that shaving makes a person's body look presentable and doing melacha to make oneself like nice is similar to ochel nefesh (preparing food). Just like it is permitted to do melacha to prepare food for one's health and physical pleasure, so too is it permitted to do melacha to beatify one's body. | ||
=== Is Cutting One's Hair like Shaving? === | === Is Cutting One's Hair like Shaving? === | ||
