Page 178 - Tzurba M'Rabanan Volume1

176 · Hilchot Pe’ot Harosh Tzurba M’Rabanan

The Custom to Grow the Pe’ot

We learned above that the length of the hairs must be a certain length (subject to the dispute between the
Biur Halacha and other poskim), but need not be longer than that. Nevertheless, many individuals, especially
chassidim, have the custom to grow the pe’ot as a hidur mitzva (enhancement of the mitzva). In the Haggada
of the Beit HaLevi, Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik of Brisk, it is recorded that he was asked about the reason
for this minhag:

a Haggada MiBeit HaLevi, p. 305 הש ׳מע | יול תיבמ הדגה . 43

…and he also asked about the source of the minhag of those לש םגהנמ רוקמ ןכיהמ ,תעדל םג שקיבו…
who grow the pe’ot long. .תוכורא תואפב םיכלוהה ,הלא
And our teacher [Rav Y.D. Soloveitchik] answered: “Since ךורע ןחלושב רבחמה בתכדמ" :ובישה ונברו
the Shulchan Aruch writes that no hand shall touch the entire עגת אל הז םוקמ בחור לכו" ,ט:אפק העד הרוי
width of the area,” even though the poskim discussed the exact המכ הזב ונד םיקסופהש יפ לע ףא – ”די וב
measurement, according to the literal words of the Shulchan אוה לודג רודיה ,וירבד יפלש ירה – םרועיש
Aruch it is a great hidur not to touch the pe’ot at all, and תואפה תושענ אליממו ,ללכ תואפב עגיל אלש
therefore they are left to grow long.
”…תוכורא

The Yalkut Yosef writes that Sefardim generally do not have any minhag to let the pe’ot grow long. However,
he says that those that do so will be blessed and need not concern themselves with yuhara (acting in a
haughty manner).

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