Und diese können sich bei Chol Hamoed rasieren: Einer, der aus dem Ausland zurückkehrt [bei Chol Hamoed, der vorher keine Zeit hatte, sich zu rasieren. Dies ist nur dann verboten, wenn er aus Handels- oder anderen Gründen ins Ausland ging, aber wenn er dies nur auf Tour tat, ist dies verboten.] Einer, der aus der Gefangenschaft befreit ist, einer, der aus dem Gefängnis befreit ist [selbst wenn er inhaftiert war von einem Israeliten, der ihm erlaubt hätte, sich zu rasieren (ungeachtet dessen, was er nicht rasiert hat), in Not zu sein], einer, der von den Weisen von seiner Exkommunikation befreit wurde [auf Chol Hamoed, der sich vorher nicht rasieren konnte und sich rasierte verboten für jemanden, der exkommuniziert wird]; Ebenso einer, der von einem Weisen (auf Chol Hamoed) von seinem Gelübde befreit wurde [sich nicht zu rasieren] [nachdem er keinen Weisen gefunden hatte, der dies vorher konnte; oder, bis dahin nicht in der Lage gewesen zu sein, "eine Öffnung für die Absolution" zu finden.] und einen Naziriten [der seinen Naziritismus auf Chol Hamoed vollendete] und einen Aussätzigen, der von Unreinheit zu Sauberkeit aufstieg. [Wenn sein siebter Tag auf Chol Hamoed fiel, darf er sich rasieren, nämlich. (3. Mose 14: 9): "Am siebten Tag wird er alle seine Haare rasieren." (Das Rasieren eines Nethek (eines blanchierten Flecks) wird nicht erwähnt, da es sich um eine geringfügige Aktivität handelt, bei der nur um den Fleck herum rasiert wird.) Der Grund, dass es allen außer den in unserer Mischna erwähnten verboten ist, sich auf Chol Hamoed zu rasieren, ist, dass sie es nicht tun Planen Sie dann, sich zu rasieren, wenn sie arbeitsfrei sind, und treten Sie unrasiert in den ersten Tag des Festivals ein. Und auch dies ist der Grund, warum es verboten ist, Kleidung auf Chol Hamoed zu waschen.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
אלו מגלחין. הבא ממדינת הים – During the Festival, for he did not have time to shave prior to the Festival. And this is a case of one who departed for business or to a thing that was necessary, if he didn’t depart other than to a mere walk/doing errands, it is prohibited [to shave].
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Moed Katan
Introduction
Generally speaking one may not cut one’s hair/shave during the festival. This is not because cutting hair was a lot of work. Rather it was to encourage people to get a hair cut and shave before the festival, so that they would be properly groomed when the festival began. In other words, if you don’t prepare before the festival, you’re going to look disheveled the whole time.
Our mishnah lists the exceptions to this rule those people who may get a haircut during the festival because they could not do so during the week before.
When the mishnah speaks of cutting one’s hair, it also includes shaving (they would shave with scissors). There is no halakhic difference between the two. I have translated the verb that the mishnah uses as shaving.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
והיוצא מבית האסורין – and even if he was imprisoned at the hand of an Israelite who would let him shave, because he was in pain.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Moed Katan
And these may shave during the festival: one coming back from a trip abroad, or one coming out from a place of captivity, or coming out of prison, or one excommunicated whom the sages have released. The people in this section could not cut their hair the week before the festival for various practical reasons. 1) They came back from a trip abroad, from a place where shaving was not possible. 2) They came out of captivity, and while captives they couldn’t shave. 3) They came out of prison no cutting hair in prison. 4) They were excommunicated. A person excommunicated by the Jewish community may not shave or cut his hair until he is released from his excommunication. If any of these people did not have enough time to cut his hair before the festival, he may do so during the festival. On the other hand, if he had time to prepare for the festival and neglected to do so, then he is penalized for his lack of preparation.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
ומנודה – who released him from his excommunication during the Festival, but prior to the Festival, he was not able to shave since someone who was excommunicated is prohibited to cut his hair.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Moed Katan
And similarly one who asked a sage [to be released from a vow] and was released, and a nazirite or a leper on emerging from his state of impurity to his state of purification. The people in this section could not shave for religious reasons. 1) The person had taken a vow not to cut his hair. Only a sage can release someone from a vow. If the person could not find a sage who would release his vow before the festival and then found one during the festival, he is allowed to shave during the festival. When a nazirite completes his term of naziriteship and when a leper becomes pure from his leprosy they both undergo a ritual which includes cutting one’s hair and shaving. If the term of naziriteship is over during the festival or a leper’s period of impurity is completed during the festival they may shave and cut their hair then.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
ומי שנדר – [vowed] not to shave, and he could not find a Sage that would release him from his vow prior to the Festival. Alternatively, he did not find an opening for regret other than during the Festival.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
והנזיר – who completed his being a Nazirite vow during the Festival.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
ה"ג והמצורע העולה מטומאתו לטהרתו – if his seventh day occurs during the Festival, he is permitted to take a haircut, as it is written (Leviticus 14:9): “On the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair [– of head, beard, and eye-brows…].” And the shaving of the bald spot [on the head or in the beard] is not considered, for it is not other than a small thing when he shaves around the bald spot. And there reason that it is prohibited to shave on the Festival outside of those who are taught in the Mishnah is in order that they should not intend to shave during the Festival when they are idle from work and the First Day of the Festival comes when they are disgraced, that is is the reason also that the they prohibited laundering on the Festival.
