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Many people do not take a hair cut until the end of Sefira (including Lag B'Omer) because of a position of the Ari Zal. Where is the Ari Zal? What is the source for this? Did the strigency of the Ari Zal by sefira include only not taking hair cuts or all of things people are not nohag to do during sefira

(I realize there was already a similar question however in this I'm specifically asking in regards to the Ari Zal and would like to see the source inside.)

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Yehoshua
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  • Shaarei Teshuva, OC 493:8 http://mytorahthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/getting-married-or-getting-a-haircut-during-sefiras-haomer/ – ray May 04 '13 at 21:28
  • @R.S. "Ayin sham" so where is "Sham" in the Ari Zal? – Yehoshua May 04 '13 at 21:30
  • @R.S. he quotes the Divrei Yoel however without a mareh makom. Any idea where that is? – Yehoshua May 04 '13 at 21:33
  • http://www.youngisrael.org/content/PDFs/Halacha_Central/Halachically_Speaking/halachicallyspeaking_volume_5_issue_8.pdf see footnote 29 – ray May 04 '13 at 21:43
  • @R.S. I had trouble with that link. Others might found this better (goes to same document): http://thehalacha.com/wp-content/uploads/Vol5Issue8.pdf – Yehoshua May 04 '13 at 21:52

2 Answers2

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The Arizal is brought by R' Chaim Vital in Pri Eitz Chaim (Shaar 22 Sif Zayin) and Shaar Hakavonos (Inyan Sefiras Haomer); see also Birkey Yosef (493:6) and Kaf HaChaim (:12).

The reason is based on Kabbalah, and not related to the mourning of sefira, which is why it applies during the sheloshes yemei hagbala till Erev Shavuos, and according to most also on Lag Beomer (although according to the teachings of the Arizal we are exceedingly carefully to avoid any practises of mourning on Lag Beomer). Therefore, it is only restricted to hair cuts and not other sefira customs.

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The source is Shaar HaKavvanot 86d:

במ"ט ימים אלו של ימי העומר לא היה מורי האריז"ל מגלח ראשו אלא בערב שבועות ולא היה מגלח לא ביום ראש חודש אייר ולא ביום ל"ג בעומר בשום אופן.

During the 49 days of the Omer my teacher the Arizal would not shave his head except on Erev Shavuot, he would not shave on Rosh Chodesh Iyyar and not on Lag B'Omer for any reason.

It is also brought in the Pri Eitz Haim, and the relevant piece is quoted on the same page of the Shaar HaKavvanot in the Haghaot and Biurim letter B, where it says:

בפע"ח בפ"ז וז"ל ד"ה מע"ח מורי ז"ל לא היה מסתפר מערב פסח עד ערב שבועות כלל ועיקר לא בר"ח ולא בל"ג בעומר ואמר לי הטעם שלא לגלח בימים אלו כי כבר ידעת כי יש תיקון אחד בגולגולתא והוא נקרא עמר נקי ויש תיקון ב' הנקרא טלא דבדולחא. והנה ז"ס פ' והעומר עשירית האיפה כי עומר גי' ש"י עלמין ומלא העומר מ"ן עומ''ר גי' ת' עלמין דירתין צדקייא ארבא מאות שקל כסף וכן ב"פ עומר גי' כתר שהוא גולגולת והעמר נקי שהם השערות הם בכתר והנה העומר עשירית האיפה הוא סוד אותיות פאה שהוא המלכות הנקרא אלקים והיא מדה י' וזהו עשירית האיפה והנה ר"ע דורש סוד קוין אלו בסוד דורש כתרי אותיות ולכן לפי שמתו תלמידיו אסור להסתפר בימים אלו כו' עכ"ל

Much of that purely Kabbalah which is forbidden to translate into English. However a simple rule of Kabbalah is that there is no sod(deeper meaning) where there is no pshat(simple meaning). At the very end the Ari brings the simple meaning, which I will translate:

Therefore because his[Rabbi Akiva] students died it is forbidden to cut hair during these days.

In the same place(i.e. the next page in Shaar HaKavvanot) it is brought that this stringency further extends to all the practices of mourning with the exclusion of Lag B'Omer.

Rav Avner Apjin in his sefer Divrei Shalom vol 8 page 51 brings the halakhic reasoning. He first sources the Teshuva regarding the mourning customs of the Omer by Rav Sharira Gaon(1:1). He then brings the Teshuvot HaGeonim siman 278 in the name of Hai Gaon which says,

וששאלתם למה אין מקדשין ואין כונסין בין פסח לעצרת אם מחמת איסור או לאוץ הוו יודעים שלא משום איסור הוא אלא משום מנהג אבלות. שכך אמרו חכמים שנים עשר אלפים זוגים תלמידים היו לו לרבי עקיבא וכולם מתו בין פסח לעצרת על שלא נהגו זה בזהץ ותני עלה וכולם מיתה משונה באסכרה, ומאותוה שעה ואילך נהגו ראשונים בימים אלו שלא לכנוס בהן ומי שקפץ וכנס אין אנו קונסין אותו, לא עונש ולא מלקות אבל אם בא לשאול לכתחילה אין מורין לו לכנוס

Then he brings several Rishonim notably the Shevli Haleket 235, The Meiri on the Gemara in Yevamot(D"H Af al pi), the Shut HaTashbetz 1:178 and the Ramban(though he doesn't note the location of the Ramban) who note that the original minhag was to mourn the entire 49days even though we have since shortened it to 33.

However, as I noted in a previous question, the Arizal was hesitant with changes to the customs established Tannaim, Amoraim and Geonim feeling that the latter generations lacked sufficient Ruach HaKodesh to do so One specific source is Shaar HaKavvanot Drush Nusach Tefilot p 50c:

דע לך כי מורי ז"ל לא היה אומר שום פזמון ושום פיוט ושום בקשה מאלו שסידרו האחרונים כמו ר' שלומו בן גבריאל וכיוצא בו לפי שאלו האחרונים לא ידעו דרכי הקבלה ואינם יודעים מה שהם אומרים וטועם בסדר דיבורם בלי ידיעה כלל ובפרט פזמון יגדל אלהים חי וכו' ווידוי אשמנו באומר ובפועל וכו' ושאר הוידוים של יום הכיפורים של רבינו נסים ורש"ט בן ארדוטיל ור' יצחק בן ישראל שתיקנו בערבית בשחרית במוסף במנחה בנעילה לא היה אומרם כלל. אבל היה אומר התפילות והבקשות והפזמונים שתיקנו הראשונים כמו תפלת ר' עקיבא ותפלת ר' אלאזר בן ערך ותפלת ר'נחוניא בן הקנה לפי שכל אלו הראשונים תוקנו הדברים על פי חכמת האמת והיו יודעים מה שתיקנו ואף אם הם באמצע ברכות יוצר וישתבח היה אומרים לפי שהם היו תנאים והיו יודעים מה שהיו מתקנים וכל דבריהם היו מיוסדים על פי דרך האמת

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Rabbi Michael Tzadok
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  • Anyway to see the Divrei Shalom inside? Or you could source who those Rishonim are. (BTW, very good answer.) – Yehoshua May 05 '13 at 04:46
  • Where in Shaar Hakavonos is it brought that this extends to all practices of mourning? – Michoel May 05 '13 at 07:16
  • @Michoel The discussion starts on 86d and proceeds through 87b in the traditional print. Sorry I don't know the pagination of the Kabbalah Center edition. It starts with the words ענין כל המ"ט ימים של ספירת היעומר. Or for the Halakhic source you can look in Iggerot of Rav Sharira Gaon 1:1. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 05 '13 at 08:08
  • OK, here's a link to the text in the print you are refering to. Can you tell me which line extends this to mourning customs besides haircuts? – Michoel May 05 '13 at 08:15
  • 87a Second line down it says that the time of Katnut of Z"A(which means mourning according to the Rashash and Shemen Sasson) extends from Pesach until Atzeret(Shavuot). Also see the top of the next column wear the Ari rebukes his disicple for mourning on Lag B'Omer, but does not tell him he should not be mourning still after the Omer. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 05 '13 at 08:34
  • @Yehoshua Added the sources in the Geonim and Rishonim. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 05 '13 at 08:54
  • As you noted, the Ari rebuked his disciple for mourning on Lag B'Omer. Yet he would not cut hair on Lag B'Omer. How can you say the Ari's position on not cutting hair extends to all mourning customs? – Michoel May 05 '13 at 08:56
  • To clarify, there is certainly Halachic basis for observing the mourning customs throughout the period of Pesach to Shavous. However, the custom of not cutting hair based on the Arizal is clearly independent of that. – Michoel May 05 '13 at 08:58
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    but does not tell him he should not be mourning still after the Omer. - Why should he be mourning after the Omer? – Michoel May 05 '13 at 08:59
  • @Michoel You should note that on 87b he cut the hair of his young son on Lag B'Omer. Something which is technically against the Halakha, which says on the 34(not the 33rd as Rav Ovadia Yosef reminded me when I brought my son to him on the 33rd of the Omer for his first haircut). So it would appear that the question in the Kitvei is which mourning customs are lightened specifically on the 33rd and why? If he cut his own son's hair, it becomes more difficult to reconcile saying that hair cutting is independent of the other mourning customs. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 05 '13 at 09:01
  • @Michoel Meant after Lag B"Omer. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 05 '13 at 09:02
  • But he wouldn't cut his own hair "for any reason", as you quoted in your answer. I believe that upsherin is an exception. – Michoel May 05 '13 at 09:03
  • Here, from the Minchas Elazar (4:60): "Even though the Arizal forbade haircuts on Lag B'Omer, this is only for adults.. for the Arizal himself brought his son to Meron on Lag B'Omer for a haircut.." – Michoel May 05 '13 at 09:12
  • Ok. The question was two parts. What is the source in the Kitvei for the haircuts. Was the Arizal equally strict with the other practices of mourning.
    I answered with the source. Then said that with the exclusion of Lag B'Omer the Arizal did extend the practices of the Omer for the entire Sefira. How does that not answer the question?     – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 05 '13 at 09:22
  • @RabbiMichaelTzadok what you said "87a Second line down it says that the time of Katnut of Z"A(which means mourning according to the Rashash and Shemen Sasson) extends from Pesach until Atzeret(Shavuot)." ... Where is the Rashash and/or Shemen Sasson. I can find it inside? – Yehoshua May 05 '13 at 11:58
  • You are claiming that this stringency further extends to all the practices of mourning, which is what I am taking issue with. I have no problem saying that the Arizal maintained that mourning must be observed throughout the 49 days of Sefira, but that is a separate thing from his opposition to haircuts. – Michoel May 05 '13 at 12:13
  • @Michoel I don't see that. Kabbalists don't do weddings on Lag B'Omer either. It is more a matter of him not easing the restriction of haircuts on Lag B'Omer for Kabbalistic reasons. What you are positing cannot be backed up by sources, either within the text or amongst the Kabbalists that followed. What I am positing can. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 05 '13 at 13:20
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    @Yehoshua I might be able to find them online. However the Haghaot and Biurim on the same page(ot Bet) says at the end ולכן לפי שמתו תלמידיו אסור להסתפר בימים אלו כו' עכ"ל So after giving the reason al pi sod, it gives the reason al pi pshat, which is that we are mourning for Rabbi Akiva's students. – Rabbi Michael Tzadok May 06 '13 at 09:57
  • Please be aware that the author of this answer, "Michael Tzadok," has recently been outed as a Christian missionary. His real name is Michael Elk. Please also see here and here. – Yehuda Nov 08 '21 at 20:08