Instead of continuing in the Beards thread, I figured this topic is worthy of its own thread.

Here is some information that I copied from the Avodah section of Aish Das:

The upsheren custom of Hassidim, which at first glance seems like some

venerable and ancient custom no good Jew would oppose, is actually

a controversial new custom which they picked up from certain middle

eastern Jews called ‘mustarbim’, which was and is rejected by certain

great gedolim and communities.

Although proponents attempt to attach it to the mitzvoh of orlah (fruit

from newly planted trees prohibited for first three years, etc.) (Vayikra

19:23-25), early mekoros (Rabbinic sources) (e.g. Rokeach 296, Daas

Zikeinim Mibaalei Tosfos on Vayikra 19:23), as well as later ones

(e.g. Eliyohu Rabbah 17:3, Ohr Hachaim on Vayikra 19:23), omit any mention

of such an custom, even, while at the same time, they mention approvingly

an old minhag to start a young boy in Torah learning at that time. There

is also no mention of it in very detailed, lengthy and comprehensive

works, such as the Shulchan Oruch and siddur of Rav Yaakov Emden.

The attempt to place the posthumous imprimatur of the Ar’i on it via

a tale told of him allegedly having given his son a haircut on lag

ba’omer is not as simple as it may appear initially as well. It comes

from an account by Rav Chaim Vital, but the language in the account is

not clear and it’s not certain if it refers to the Ar”i or someone else

who was with him. Also, it it happened before the Ar”i reached his great

stature in Kabbalah, which occurred later in his life, and therefore

he may have not held of it then, as per his shita, based on kabbalah,

not to cut hair for the whole sefira period, including lag ba’omer.

In Ashkenazic communities of Lita, Germany, Hungary (Oberland), etc.,

the upsheren custom was not accepted, and the young boys were given

haircuts at a young age (sometimes when just a few months or even weeks

old), without any special event/celebration around it. Similarly, it was

not recognized in Sepharadic communities in Amsterdam, Hamburg, London

at all, as it was not done in Spain. In certain Moroccan communities,

the hair was cut at the age of nine months. In the famed ‘sheva kehillos’

of Hungary, they cut the hair at one year of age. In Yemen too, the hair

was cut with no special celebration.

The renowned Brisker Rav, Rav Velvel Soloveitchik (HaGRY”Z), when he

came to Eretz Yisroel and was brought a child for such hair cutting,

declined, saying ‘ich bin nisht kein sherer’ (I am not a barber). His

position was explained with the following logic. Even if someone has long

hair, he is not oveir (doesn’t transgress) the prohibition of ‘lo sakifu

peas roshchem’ (not to cut off sideburns / peiyos). So when you give

a child his first haircut, even his hair is lengthy, you are not doing

a mitzvoh – so it is just a regular haircut – so if you need a barber,

go find a barber – I am a Rav, not a barber.

The Steipler Gaon, Rav Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky z”l, also refused to

go along with it. It is told (in sefer ‘orchos Rabbeinu’, by his talmid

Rav Avrohom Horowitz, volume one, p.233) that he would drive away ( ! )

people who came to him with three year old boys asking him to cut their

hair and was very angry about it ( ! ).

A very significant consideration is also the question if there is a

problem of ‘chukos hagoyim’ with the custom. While we don’t generally

see it now (in western countries at least), the fact is that in certain

eastern cultures (e.g. arab and hindu / Indian) a great deal was/is

made of a son’s first haircut and it was accompanied by a significant

celebration. It seems that those Jews who started the custom Jews

lived among such gentiles. So there is a concern that it may well have

originated in gentile practice. The discussion now underway [squeak’s note: this reference to the Indian sheitel crisis (heh heh) dates the content of this post but in no way detracts from its value] re a serious

concern of avoda zara (idolatry) with human hair wigs from India made

from hair Indian women there cut off at Hindu temples as part of giving

thanks to their deities shows how real this concern is – even in our

modern era – and certainly in past years.

We also have clear traditions and sources from the gemara on down

that talk of cutting a young boy’s hair before he is three years old –

in some cases much before – with no mention of such contradicting any

‘upsheren’/’chalakah’ type custom. The gemara (Moed Kotton 14a) says

that a youngster born with long hair can be given a haircut right

away. The Shita Mikubetzes (Nedorim 30a) says that the hair of young

boys was regularly and often cut. In Eastern Europe, non-Hassidic Jews

customarily cut a son’s hair when he started to speak without waiting

until three years of age. In the family of the ‘Steipler Gaon’, hair

of his grandchildren was cut at two years of age, without any special

event being made of it / surrounding it.

Even among Hassidim, not all do the same thing. IIRC, Chassidei Gur

and Skvira, cut the hair at two years of age – not three – which seems

difficult to understand if it is based on orloh.

Among others (e.g. Sephardic Jews in Yerusholayim), the haircutting came

even later – at five years of age.

The above is from various sources, but mostly from an excellent survey

of the matter in ‘Shorshei Minhag Ashkenaz’, volume III, by Rav Binyomin

Shlomo Hamburger, Mochon Moreshes Ashkenaz, Bnei Brak, 5762.

Mordechai