And these may shave on Chol Hamoed: One who returns from abroad [on Chol Hamoed, who did not have time to shave before. This, only if he went abroad for trade or for some other necessity, but if he did so only to tour, it is forbidden.], one who is freed from captivity, one who is freed from prison, [even if he were imprisoned by an Israelite, who would have permitted him to shave, (notwithstanding which he did not shave), being in distress], one who is released from his excommunication by the sages [on Chol Hamoed, who could not shave before then, shaving being forbidden to one who is excommunicated]; likewise, one who was absolved of his vow [not to shave] by a sage (on Chol Hamoed) [not having been able to find a sage who could do so before then; or else, not having been able to find "an opening for absolution" until then.], and a Nazirite, [who completed his Naziritism on Chol Hamoed], and a leper who ascended from uncleanliness to cleanliness. [If his seventh day fell out on Chol Hamoed, he is permitted to shave, viz. (Leviticus 14:9): "On the seventh day, he shall shave all of his hair." (The shaving of a nethek (a blanched spot) is not mentioned, for it is a minor activity, just shaving around the spot.) The reason that all except those mentioned in our Mishnah are forbidden to shave on Chol Hamoed is that they not plan to shave then, when they are free from work, and so enter the first day of the festival unshaven. And this, too, is the reason that it is forbidden to wash clothing on Chol Hamoed.]
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].
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Moed Katan
והנזיר – who completed his being a Nazirite vow during the Festival.
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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.
