373. Samson? Is That You?: The prohibition against a nazir cutting his hair

A nazir is not permitted to cut his hair for the duration of his nazirite period. (This part may be familiar from the story of Samson in the Book of Judges. He was a nazir, though his personal, Divinely-imposed obligation was different in several ways from that of a regular, voluntary nazir.) Any form of hair removal is prohibited: razors, scissors, tweezers, depilatories… (Electrolysis hadn’t been invented yet but it would be equally prohibited as a form of hair removal.) A nazir was permitted to shampoo and to scratch his head, even though some hairs might come out. He could not, however, use a comb, as plucking hairs would then be inevitable.

A nazir typically served a set period of time, the default being 30 days. It was possible for his period to be interrupted, necessitating that he return to the beginning and start again. Shaving part of his head, while prohibited, did not invalidate his nazirite status unless he shaved the greater portion.

For the reason underlying this mitzvah, let us expand upon what we said about abstaining from wine (Mitzvah #368). The nazir, as part of his spiritual growth, refrains from certain physical pleasures. Refraining from these particular things, however, would not weaken a person or cause him to become unhealthy. So, a nazir would refrain from grapes and wine, but he wouldn’t be expected to subsist on bread and water. Similarly, not trimming his hair is a removal from a physical characteristic, but forgoing his tonsorial routine won’t injure the nazir’s health.

It should be apparent that even men can be vain about their hair. King David’s son Avshalom (Absalom) was notoriously preoccupied with his mane, so much so that it was literally the death of him (see 2 Samuel chapter 18). In the Talmudic tractate of Nazir, page 4b, Shimon HaTzaddik highly praised a nazir who undertook the commitment specifically to curb his own ego regarding his locks. So letting one’s hair grow wild, then ultimately cutting it all off (as we will see in Mitzvah #377) is a remedy to being too full of one’s own appearance.

This mitzvah applies to both men and women in all times and places. It is discussed in the Talmud in tractate Nazir on pages 39a-42a. It is codified in the Mishneh Torah in the first chapter of Hilchos Nezirus and is #209 of the 365 negative mitzvos in the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos. This mitzvah is not listed in the Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar of the Chofetz Chaim.