14 Apr SHAVING FOR ROSH CHODESH AND SHABBAT: A SEPHARDIC HALACHIC DISCUSSION

The widespread
minhag not to take
haircuts during the
days of the Omer is
rooted in the
mourning customs
observed in this period. These practices
commemorate the tragic deaths of the
students of Rabbi Akiva, who perished
during these weeks due to a spiritual
failing of not showing proper respect for
one another.
Haircutting falls under the broader
category of grooming, which is a classic
expression of personal dignity and
celebration. By refraining from it, one
adopts a visible sign of aveilut
(mourning), similar to the halachot
observed during periods of personal loss.
There are two primary minhagim
regarding when to refrain from haircuts
during the Omer:

1. From Pesach until Lag BaOmer
This view holds that the mourning lasts
from the second day of Pesach until the
33rd day of the Omer (Lag BaOmer).
According to this tradition, haircuts are
avoided throughout this period, and are
then permitted starting on Lag BaOmer,
when the students of Rabbi Akiva ceased
dying. Sepharadim shave on the 34th day
of the Omer.
2. From Rosh Chodesh Iyar until
Shavuot
According to this minhag, which is
followed by many Ashkenazim, the main
mourning period begins later—on Rosh
Chodesh Iyar—and continues until
Shavuot. This approach is based on
calculating 33 days of mourning within
the Omer, but not necessarily
consecutively from Pesach.
Each community follows its established
custom, and one should adhere to his
family or communal practice.

Rosh Chodesh Iyar
The question arises: what is the
halacha regarding Rosh
Chodesh Iyar—may one take a
haircut on Rosh Chodesh?
Obviously, this question only
applies according to the minhag
that begins from Pesach, since it
is not relevant to the second
minhag, which starts only from
Rosh Chodesh Iyar.
Many poskim write that it is permitted,
and this is the common practice among
Ashkenazim (Mishna Brura). However,
the Shulchan Aruch (493, 3), which
Sepharadim generally follow, writes that
this is a mistake and that one should
refrain.
Still, some Sephardic poskim disagreed
and permitted it, such as the Radbaz—
one of the greatest authorities and a
teacher of the Arizal—as well as the
Maharikash and the Pri Chadash.
Nevertheless, there are those who
maintain a minhag in accordance with
the opinion of the Shulchan Aruch and
refrain from taking haircuts on Rosh
Chodesh Iyar.
Rosh Chodesh Iyar that Falls on Shabbat
Another layer of discussion arises when
Rosh Chodesh Iyar falls on Shabbat, as
it does this year. May one take a haircut
on Friday in honor of the dual occasion
of Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat?
The Bach permits this, and some
prominent Sephardic authorities follow
his opinion, such as the Knesset
HaGedolah and the Pri Chadash.
The Kaf HaChaim (493, 12) brings this
leniency but concludes that it applies
only to Ashkenazim, while Sepharadim
should be stringent. There is, however, a
debate regarding how to understand his
words: some explain that his stringency
refers only to when Rosh Chodesh falls
on a weekday, but when it coincides
with Shabbat, even he would agree to
permit it.
Shaving
An additional important point is that the
original minhag was not to refrain from
shaving, but specifically from haircuts.
This is mentioned by the Chatam Sofer

(O.C. 158) and in Yalkut Yosef (Omer
493:25). Accordingly, one of the leading
poskim in Israel, Harav Ofir Malka,
permits shaving on Rosh Chodesh Iyar
that falls on Shabbat.
On the other hand, Harav Yitzchak Yosef
rules stringently. However, in his sefer
Yalkut Yosef, he writes that one who is
distressed and finds it very difficult not to
shave may be lenient.
Moreover, there were many places where
the minhag was not to refrain from
shaving at all.
For example, in Egypt the minhag was to
shave, as was the practice in other
Sephardic countries (see Sefer Minhagei
Mitzrayim). Additionally, in Yeshivat
Porat Yosef in Jerusalem of the previous
generation, they would shave during the
Omer.
In fact, when Chacham Shalom Cohen
eulogized Chacham Ben Tzion Abba
Shaul, he praised him for refraining from
shaving in his youth during the Omer—
indicating that others did not follow this
practice.
Furthermore, Harav Ovadia Hadaya
(Yaskil Avdi 6:6) writes that in most
places the minhag to refrain from shaving
was not accepted.
Summary
This year, when Rosh Chodesh Iyar falls
on Shabbat, Harav Ofir Malka permits
shaving without concern for two main
reasons:
1. It is a double joyful occasion—Rosh
Chodesh and Shabbat.
2. The original minhag was only to
refrain from haircuts, not shaving.
On the other hand, Harav Yitzchak Yosef
rules stringently; however, he writes that
one who finds it very difficult may be
lenient and shave.