This Friday is an opportunity to shave even for those who don't normally shave during sefira. Because it is both Rosh Chodesh and Erev Shabbos, the Mishna Berura (סימן תצ"ג ס"ק ה) writes that since there is additional simcha of both Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh, even those who are noheg not to shave from Pesach until Lag Baomer are allowed to shave on this Erev Shabbos which is also Rosh Chodesh.
In previous years I have always forgotten and when I came to shul Friday night and saw the shaven faces I kicked myself. This year I don't plan on forgetting and am either going to trim my beard nicely or shave it off completely (I don't know if it is worth the effort to shave it all off).
Of course this only applies to those people who don't hold from the צוואה of R' Yehuda Hachasid. The Mishna Berura in סימן ר"ס quotes from the the צוואה of R' Yehuda Hachassid that some have the minhag not to take a haircut on Friday that is Rosh Chodesh because it is dangerous.
However, the fact is that according to the calendar Rosh Chodesh Iyyar is always 2 days and cannot fall out on Shabbos and Sunday (because Pesach can't start on Friday). Therefore if Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh Iyar, then that Erev Shabbos is always Rosh Chodesh as well and even so the MB allowed haircuts. In other words the MB here allowed haircuts on Rosh Chodesh against the צוואה of R' Yehuda Hachassid.
Interestingly enough the שונה הלכות quotes (סימן תצ"ג) the Mishna Berura that you can shave on Friday if Rosh Chodesh is Shabbos but then he adds, if Friday is also Rosh Chodesh then look at what I wrote in סימן ר"ס where he quotes the minhag of R' Yehuda Hachassid. This is very difficult because when Rosh Chodesh Iyyar is Shabbos, Friday is always Rosh Chodesh as well in our calendar.
6 comments:
my rav spoke about this last night in his halcha shiur. about the tzavaa of Rav Yehuda Hachasid he said there are various approaches for those who are normally makpid about his inyanim.
1. not to shave in this situation, as per the tzavaa.
2. the tzavaa did not include rosh chodesh iyar.
3. despite the tzavaa, there is room to treat rosh chodesh iyar as the exception to the tzavaa even though it technically applies
(I forgot who said which opinion).
I don't really understand 2 and 3. My understanding is that R' Yehuda Hachassid prohibited haircuts for סכנה reasons, why wouldn't the סכנה apply on Rosh Chodesh Iyyar?
he said that because the tzavaa is vague and without explanation, as all his tzavaas are, it kind of leaves it up to interpretation. some poskim explain that Rav yehuda Hachassid did nto include such a situation in the tzavaa and does not consider it a sakana.
I remember now he also suggested that perhaps it is because this is a situation in which you could not get the haircut before, so it is precluded form the tzavaa.
Just shaved mine off in under 5 minutes. (And I get a good solid amount of growth.)
What is your secret? Please let me know. It takes me much longer. First I need to use a trimmer then a shaver and it is a real pain.
It's funny. When my former rav mentioned this a few years back, he really had no explanation as to WHY one may shave on an erev Shabbos when rosh chodesh falls out on Shabbos. Thanks for the Mareh Makom. The MB explains it quite nicely. Not sure why the rav couldn't...
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