Our previous blog covered some of the most important aspects of Hasidism’s historical origins, with emphasis on the contributions of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement.  Here we turn to some of the specific practices of the Hasidim.

All Hasidim place exceptional emphasis on the family unit, and — hand in hand with that — on mitzvot (commandments) and traditions that are performed in the home.

We turn first to the Shabbat (the Sabbath) — the weekly holy day of “rest” (abstention from 39 general categories of constructive labor elaborated in great detail in Jewish law). The Shabbat is observed by Jews every Friday night and Saturday for a period of 25 hours, beginning just before sunset on Friday and ending when three medium-sized stars become visible in the night sky on Saturday evening.

Hundreds of books have been written about the Shabbat, its laws and customs, and its meaning and significance in Jewish life.  In this blog we can only touch upon the barest essentials (if that).

Precisely speaking, the Shabbat begins each Friday 18 minutes before sunset (an astronomical concept defined in terms of the position of the Earth’s rotation for a given point on the Earth’s surface with respect to the sun).  At that moment every Jewish household welcomes the Shabbat by lighting candles (at least two) which continue to burn throughout the course of the evening, as the Shabbat is celebrated with a festive family meal.

The obligation to light Shabbat candles is normally fulfilled by the ba`alat habayis (lady of the house), as demonstrated here.

Note that what you see in the blog photos is a simulation of Shabbat candle lighting, done on some other day of the week, out of respect for the true Shabbat, when photography is not permitted.

Hasidic men are demonstratively obvious by the particular style of their hair. The majority of a Hasid’s head is almost entirely shaved. Only the hair at the sides of the temples is left completely unshorn, with payis (side-curls) hanging down to shoulder length and often way beyond. (See the photo above.)

What is the origin of this curious custom?

The Torah in Vayyiqra (Leviticus), chapter 19 declares: “You shall not round the corners of your head, neither shall you shave (literally, “destroy”) the corner of your beard.”

The Talmud (the “Oral Law”, the authoritative interpretation and codification of Torah Law for all traditional Jews, completed circa 500 C.E.) explains this to mean two things:

(1) Every (male) Jew is forbidden to fully shave the hair on either temple of his head. Some significant minimum of hair must always be left growing in those positions.

(2) Every (male) Jew is forbidden to shave his beard using a razor blade (which is the Talmud’s interpretation of the term to “destroy” one’s beard). However,  one is permitted to shave his beard using a scissor or other such apparatus, e.g., an electric shaver, which removes the hairs of the beard through the interaction of two (or more) blades rather than just a single blade applied directly to the face.

Now, for a brief digression. The Hebrew word “hasid” (which we have not had occasion to define or explain previously) means, very simply put, a pious individual. But what is piety, and — in the Jewish view — who is truly pious? Jewish tradition teaches that a “hasid” — a pious Jew — is one who fulfills his obligations to God not merely to the extent required by Torah Law, but who goes even above and beyond that which is strictly required.

So, coming back to payis (side-curls) …

Not satisfied with observing only the precise requirements of the two laws of Leviticus 19 (see above), the hasidim (plural of “hasid”) abide by those two prohibitions in greatly enhanced form, as follows:

(1) Rather than merely leaving some minimum of hair on both temples (which is what the the Law requires), hasidim have taken upon themselves never to disturb that hair in any manner whatsoever. The hair of the temples is left to grow unhampered and unimpeded, forming payis that curl naturally, or with some outside assistance. The word payis is a Hebrew word (albeit with a very distinctive European pronunciation) meaning “corners”. Recall the words of the Biblical prohibition mentioned earlier: “You shall not round the corners of your head.”  The word payis — “corners” — is essentially the same Hebrew word used by the Torah to refer to the hair of the temples.

(2) Rather than refraining from shaving their beards with a razor (but cutting it in some other permitted manner, as explained above), hasidic men abstain from disturbing the hairs of their beards in any manner whatsoever. Like their payis, hasidic men’s beards are left to their own devices, to grow as wooly and wild as they will.

So, in case you were ever wondering why hasidic men grow out their beards, and have long strands of curly hair falling down on either side of their heads — now you know.

And here we have the kindling of Hanukkah candles.  Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday observed by Jews the world over every winter, commemorating the eternally recurring  victory of Jewish enlightenment over the darkness that continually seeks, but always fails, to extinguish and destroy it. Hanukkah has its origins in a seminal historical event that occurred in the Land of Israel, ca. the second century B.C.E.