A ci mogą golić się na Chol Hamoed: tym, który wraca z zagranicy [na Chol Hamoed, który wcześniej nie miał czasu się golić. To tylko wtedy, gdy wyjechał za granicę w celach handlowych lub z innych powodów, ale jeśli zrobił to tylko w celu zwiedzania, jest to zabronione.], Ten, który został uwolniony z niewoli, ten, który został uwolniony z więzienia, [nawet jeśli był uwięziony przez Izraelitę, który pozwoliłby mu się ogolić (pomimo tego, że się nie golił), będąc w niebezpieczeństwie], tego, który został zwolniony z ekskomuniki przez mędrców [na Chol Hamoed, który nie mógł się golić wcześniej, goląc się zabronione temu, kto jest ekskomunikowany]; podobnie ten, który został zwolniony z przysięgi [nie golenia] przez mędrca (na Chol Hamoed) [nie mogąc znaleźć mędrca, który mógłby to zrobić wcześniej; albo nie mogąc dotąd znaleźć „drogi do rozgrzeszenia”.] i nazirejczyka, [który zakończył swój naziretyzm na Chol Hamoed], i trędowatego, który przeszedł z nieczystości do czystości. [Jeśli jego siódmy dzień wypadł na Chol Hamoed, wolno mu się golić, a mianowicie. (Kapłańska 14: 9): „Siódmego dnia ogoli wszystkie włosy”. (Nie wspomina się o goleniu neteka (blanszowanego miejsca), ponieważ jest to drobna czynność, po prostu golenie wokół tego miejsca). Powodem, dla którego nie wolno golić się na Chol Hamoed wszystkim oprócz tych wymienionych w naszej Misznie jest to, że nie zaplanuj golenie, gdy będą wolne od pracy, a więc w pierwszy dzień festiwalu wkrocz nieogolony. I to też jest powodem, dla którego zabrania się prania odzieży na 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.
