Electric Razors and Orthodox Judaism [Feb. 23rd, 2008|12:22 pm] Lenny In Leviticus 19:27, Jews are prohibited from "destroying" the corners of the beard. The Talmud (Makkos 20a) explains this to mean the use of a single-bladed razor (as opposed to any scissors-like device which requires two blades to cut). Therefore, Jewish males may not use a razor to cut certain parts of their beards. For practical purposes, those who comply with halacha as defined by rabbinic Judaism refrain from the use of razors altogether.



Some Orthodox Jews, including Hassidim, refrain from cutting their beards altogether, and with the exception of occasionally trimming their moustaches when they interfere with eating, never cut their facial hair. Those Orthodox Jews who do shave their facial hair must utilize electric shavers. Some rabbis have deemed certain electric shavers permissible, because even though they "destroy" the beard, they do this through a permitted scissor-like action. Other rabbis do not permit any electric shavers, presuming that scissors which cut as closely as a razor would are prohibited as well.





Hasidic Rebbes and Hasidim with beards and payot.



The advent of "Lift and Cut technology" by Philips (initially marketed under the Philishave and Norelco brand names) in 1980, with which shavers are said to first lift the hair with a primary blade and then slice it with a secondary blade, raises the question of whether or not this constitutes use of a single blade. According to the company, the secondary blade no longer works in concert with the comb of the rotary head to produce a scissor action. Many Orthodox rabbis have banned Lift and Cut shavers for this reason. But some permit them on the basis of their research conclusions that, despite company claims, the second blade does not in fact cut on its own, but rather requires the presence of the comb to create a scissors-like cutting action. In any case, a person who wishes to follow the stricter opinion can remove the Lift and Cut primary blades from the rotary blade head assembly.





The rotary head on the right still has the primary blades (tin color) adjacent to each of the secondary blades, while the head on the left has had these Lift and Cut blades removed.



Some modern Jewish religious legislators in Orthodox Judaism, including Moshe Feinstein and Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, permit the use of electric razors for the purpose of remaining clean shaven, because, in their view, electric razors work like scissors, cutting by trapping hair between the blades and a metal grating. However, other modern Jewish Rabbinical authorities, such as Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz and Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, consider electric razors, particularly rotary models which use "Lift and Cut" heads made by Philips, to work in the manner of primitive razors, and consequently prohibit their use These shavers can be used if the lifters attached to the shaver's cutters are removed first. The rotary electric shaver was invented by a Jewish engineer named Alexandre Horowitz. Many Orthodox Jews prefer to grow beards, for a variety of religious, social, and cultural reasons, even if they believe that electric shavers would be permitted; many Orthodox Jews, even non-Haredi Jews, today grow beards to keep the tradition of their ancestors, regardless of the permissibility of their removal.



Original Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaving_in_Judaism#In_Modern_Judaism Some Orthodox Jews, including Hassidim, refrain from cutting their beards altogether, and with the exception of occasionally trimming their moustaches when they interfere with eating, never cut their facial hair. Those Orthodox Jews who do shave their facial hair must utilize electric shavers. Some rabbis have deemed certain electric shavers permissible, because even though they "destroy" the beard, they do this through a permitted scissor-like action. Other rabbis do not permit any electric shavers, presuming that scissors which cut as closely as a razor would are prohibited as well.The advent of "Lift and Cut technology" by Philips (initially marketed under the Philishave and Norelco brand names) in 1980, with which shavers are said to first lift the hair with a primary blade and then slice it with a secondary blade, raises the question of whether or not this constitutes use of a single blade. According to the company, the secondary blade no longer works in concert with the comb of the rotary head to produce a scissor action. Many Orthodox rabbis have banned Lift and Cut shavers for this reason. But some permit them on the basis of their research conclusions that, despite company claims, the second blade does not in fact cut on its own, but rather requires the presence of the comb to create a scissors-like cutting action. In any case, a person who wishes to follow the stricter opinion can remove the Lift and Cut primary blades from the rotary blade head assembly.Some modern Jewish religious legislators in Orthodox Judaism, including Moshe Feinstein and Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, permit the use of electric razors for the purpose of remaining clean shaven, because, in their view, electric razors work like scissors, cutting by trapping hair between the blades and a metal grating. However, other modern Jewish Rabbinical authorities, such as Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz and Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, consider electric razors, particularly rotary models which use "Lift and Cut" heads made by Philips, to work in the manner of primitive razors, and consequently prohibit their use These shavers can be used if the lifters attached to the shaver's cutters are removed first. The rotary electric shaver was invented by a Jewish engineer named Alexandre Horowitz. Many Orthodox Jews prefer to grow beards, for a variety of religious, social, and cultural reasons, even if they believe that electric shavers would be permitted; many Orthodox Jews, even non-Haredi Jews, today grow beards to keep the tradition of their ancestors, regardless of the permissibility of their removal.