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What are the earliest sources for these customs? i found mention of the custom amongst Sephardim of Eretz Yisrael in the Kether Shem Tob. But that only mentions it for Eretz Yisrael, and doesn't provide a source or history of where it came from.

מספרים שערות ראשו לקיים מצות חנחת פאת הראש, ובו ביום מזמינים מכריתם ומיודעיהם ומכבדים אותם לספר איזת שערות עד כי יוסרו כל שערות ראשו מלבד הפאות, ועושים סעודה לכל הקרואים, היום המיועד לחג זה, מהם חוגגים אותו ביום ל״ג לעומר, ומהם בחוה״מ פסח בביה״כ, ובותרים באיש ספר עגי, וההג תזת גקרא בלשון ערבי ״חאלאקה״, ובאלו הארצות לא גודע להם מגהגזה.

-Kether Shem Tob page 591

mevaqesh
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Aaron
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  • IIRC the earliest source in a Tshuva Seffer was a Tshuvas Radvaz who mentioned cutting the hair by Shmuel HaNavi's grave. – user6591 Jul 15 '15 at 18:46
  • @user6591 Do you have the teshuvah number or title? – Aaron Jul 15 '15 at 18:51
  • No sorry, otherwise I would've put it in. But hopefully this lead will make it easier for you or someone else to find and post as an answer. – user6591 Jul 15 '15 at 18:53
  • @user6591, I think the mention by R. Chaim Vital of the Arizal's custom to do it is a bit earlier (but not by much). That is the source that I have seen quoted as the earliest. – Yishai Jul 15 '15 at 18:58
  • Found which responsum it was, Responsa Radvaz part 2 siman 608. Can anyone help with a translation of it? I see different websites citing it for drastically different opinions – Aaron Jul 15 '15 at 18:58
  • @Yishai I put in the words 'earliest source in a Tshuva' :) – user6591 Jul 15 '15 at 19:02
  • @user6591, here is the link if you want to go for that as an answer. || Aaron, he is discussing someone who made a vow to do the Upsherin at Shmuel HaNavi's grave who then found it taken over by non-Jews who didn't allow any Jews entry. The Halachic content of the Teshuva is primarily a matter of vows, but in the beginning he does describe it as a wide spread custom in גלילות that this is a recognized vow that entailed collecting money for upkeep of the grave, poor people and the community. – Yishai Jul 15 '15 at 19:16
  • @Yishai So many quote it as a source for upshernin, but this is different, as the custom as you mention is for raising money for the poor and the community. This feels entirely different than what happens now. – Aaron Jul 15 '15 at 19:26
  • @Yishai please feel free. After you did the legwork translating it, its all yours:) – user6591 Jul 15 '15 at 19:42
  • @Aaron, You misunderstood me. He isn't saying the custom was for raising money. It is that when you went there to do the custom, a donation of a certain value was part of the deal, so that made it a full-fledged vow. – Yishai Jul 15 '15 at 19:42
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    @Gershon I don't think the questions are a duplicate, but I think the answer there is a better fit for this question. – user6591 Jul 15 '15 at 20:21
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    @Gershon but this one is probably a duplicate of the one mentioned by menachem in the comments to the one you pointed out. – user6591 Jul 15 '15 at 20:23

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