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r Tur, Yoreh Deah 181 אפק ד״וי | רוט 5 .

With regard to rounding of the head and the destroying of the בתכ ולאב םג ןקזה תתחשהו שארה תפקה
beard as well, the Rambam writes that the verse prohibits them ןכ ןישועש ינפמ בותכה םרסאש ם"במרה
because the idol worshipers [used to] do so. But this is not explicit ונא ןיאו שרופמ וניא הזו כ"ע םיבכוכ ידבוע
[in the verse] and we do not need to search for a reason for the ךלמ תוצמ יכ תוצמל םעט שקבל םיכירצ
commandments. For they are the commandments of the King .ןמעט עדנ אל ףא ונילע םה
upon us even if we don’t know their reason.

The Beit Yosef, though, defends the Rambam and explains that the Rambam certainly did not mean to link
fulfillment of the mitzva to the reason behind it. He then suggests a source for the Rambam’s explanation.

r Beit Yosef, Yoreh Deah 181 אפק ד״וי | ףסוי תיב 6 .

And I say that Heaven forbid that the Rambam should hold רבסימלמ ם"במרהל היל סחד רמוא ינאו
this way, as who is concerned for the honor of the Torah רתוי תוצמהו הרותה דובכל שוחי ימו יכה
and mitzvot more than the Rambam? And his words at the ח"פ( הליעמ תוכלה ףוסב וירבדו ונממ
end of Hilchot Meila prove this, as well as his words at the end תוכלה ףוסב בתכ םהב אצויכו וחיכוי )ח"ה
of Hilchot Temura and at the end of Hilchot Mikvaot. From there תואוקמ תוכלה ףוסבו )ג"יה ד"פ( הרומת
we can observe that his opinion is to say that even though all of רמול ל"ז ותעדש ןנובתנ םשמו )ב"יה א"יפ(
the mitzvot are decrees of the King, nevertheless for whatever
we can seek a reason, we should suggest… But what we cannot םה ךלמ תוריזג הרותה יקוח לכש פ"עאש
find a reason for, we will attribute the matter to our limited םעט ול שקבל לכונש המ לכ םוקמ לכמ
understanding, and we are [nevertheless] obligated to fulfill סחיינ םעט ול אצמנ אלש המו …וב רמאנ
them just the same as the mitzvot whose reasoning is known, םמייקל םיבייח ונאו וניתגשה רצוקל רבדה
as they are the decrees of the King upon us. ךלמה תוריזג יכ םמעט עדונש תוצמה ומכ
In any event, regarding these mitzvot it seems to me that the יל הארנ ולאה תוצמב םוקמ לכמו ונילע םה
Rambam did not provide a reason on his own, but rather based אלא ותעדמ ם"במרה םעט םהב ןתנ אלש
on the verses [themselves], which are surrounded by [other] ןהינפלמ תופקומ ןאצמש בותכה תעדמ
mitzvot that are prohibited due to [the prohibition of] chukot יקוח םושמ תורסאנה תוצממ ןהירחאלמו
hagoyim (following the statutes of the gentiles, discussed in Shiur לע ולכאת אל םהינפל בותכ ירהש םיוגה
3). As the preceding verse states “do not eat over the blood, do not )וכ:טי ארקיו( וננועת אלו ושחנת אל םדה
divine, and do not calculate times” (Vayikra 19:26), and it then עקעק תבותכו שפנל טרשו בותכ ןהירחאו
states, “a cut and tattoo…” (Vayikra 19:28). This is considered
as specifying that the prohibition of rounding the corners and תפקהש שרפמכ הז ירהו )חכ קוספ םש(
destroying the beard are prohibited due to the fact that the idol ויהש ינפמ ורסאנ ןקזה תתחשהו שארה
worshipers and their priests used to do so. :םהירמוכו הרז הדובע ידבוע ןכ ןישוע

The Bach comments that although he believes the explanation of the Beit Yosef to be correct, it is not found
anywhere in the writings of the Rambam. Instead, he suggests based on passages in the Rambam’s Sefer
HaMitzvot and Moreh Nevuchim that because these were practices observed by the idolatrous priests, the
Rambam deduced on his own that cutting one’s pe’ot harosh and pe’ot of the beard are also forbidden due to
imitating the gentiles. The reason he wrote this in the Mishneh Torah as the reason was to demonstrate that
one who does so violates not only these prohibitions, but also that of chukot hagoyim.

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