Should beard hair that falls out be treated in a specific way? Should something specific be done with them?
I'm asking because I remember hearing that there is a kabbalistic idea to do something with them (not sure what).
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6Do not put them in seforim!– samFeb 8, 2015 at 19:59
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1@sam judaism.stackexchange.com/a/53649/5323– MTLFeb 8, 2015 at 21:08
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@sam, what? Why would someone put hair in a sefer?– Noach MiFrankfurtFeb 8, 2015 at 22:36
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3You would be suprised how many times I found hair in seforim On purpose. I have seen noted in more than one Shu"t that it should not be done since it is not bekavodik to the sefer. Also it may fall into an issur of not making someone else repulsed (would apply by communal seforim)– samFeb 9, 2015 at 0:13
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@sam agreed. Its absolutely disgusting. More than once I've used a seffer which had page after page loaded with multiple hairs from someone that was obviously pulling on his beard while he was learning. It's ridiculous because anyone who would say to put the hairs in a seffer would also say it's assur to stroke it in a manner that would pull hair out. What any of these ideas have to do with Torah, I don't know, but it's still self contradictory.– user6591Feb 9, 2015 at 0:39
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2 Answers
There is an old Kabbalistic idea discussed here to place them inside a Sefer!
Many Poskim have decried this practice, including R' Ovadia Yosef who is quoted in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Yalkut Yosef 153:17: וכל שכן שאסור להצניע בתוך ספרי קודש שערות הזקן
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2Jus to add another source, Rav Eliyashiv was asked if it is permitted to remove hairs from a sefer,he responded "permitted?! One is obligated to remove the hairs" he was also asked if one could throw the hair in the garbage and he answerd yes.in the footnote 417 it brings the Likutei Maharich who discusses the bezayion to seforim aspect. (Sefer Vayishma Moshe pg304– samFeb 9, 2015 at 16:55
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Would this imply that at the time of writing the Kabbalistic source, no one considered this repulsive?– DanFDec 2, 2016 at 15:18
In addition to the previous answers, I have heard (I will try to add sources when possible) that
- it is not recommended to put them in a Sefer that does not belong to you, as it is repulsive to the other users, and
- Putting it in a Sefer only makes sense if you generally treat your beard as having a certain kedusha. I.e. one who regularly trims his beard would have no reason to treat a hair that fell out differently than a hair he cut off earlier in the day.
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