Sefer HaChinuch ספר החינוך

To not encircle the corner of the head: To not encircle the corner of the head, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:27), “You shall not encircle the corner of your head.” And they, may their memory be blessed, explained that the matter is that it is forbidden for an Israelite to shave and even out the hair of his head behind his ears and to his forehead, like the idolaters and their priests do also today. And this is what they, may their memory be blessed, said in Tractate Makkot 20b, “Which is [the prohibition of] the corner of the head? That is the one that evens his temples to the back of his ears and to his forehead.”

It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] in order to distance from ourselves any matter of idolatry and anything that is done for its sake, and to make it forgotten from between our eyes and from all of our actions. And the warning comes explicitly about a thing that people do on their bodies, since it is “a perpetual reminder of iniquity,” as it is something that is fixed in the body. And since this is from the central reasons for the commandment, they, may their memory be blessed, needed to elucidate that encircling the entire head is also included in the commandment. So that you do not say that the point of that which was forbidden to us was that we not resemble them — and they do not shave the entire head — they taught us that this too is included in this prohibition, as it appears in Yevamot 5a; that they said there, “Encircling the entire head is [called] encircling.” And it is possible that the Torah forbade it all because of that which is similar to that which is similar. (See Sefer HaMitzvot, Negative Commandments 43.)

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said in Makkot 20b, that it is one for the shaver and the one who is shaved so long as he assists — they are both liable. But if he did not assist, only the shaver is liable. And one who shaves a minor is [also] liable. And regarding the measurement of the corner of the head, the Sages did not give a measurement. But Rambam, may his memory be blessed, wrote (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 12:6), “We have heard from our elders that we do not leave less than forty hairs” — this is his language — “but it is permitted to shave the corner with scissors, as the Torah only forbade destruction of the blade;” or one who evens his temples to the back of his ears. And I have heard that regarding the corner of the head, even scissors that are like a blade are forbidden (all of this [after the quote] is in the first Venice edition). And the rest of its details are at the end of Makkot. (See Tur, Yoreh Deah 180-181.)

And [it] is practiced in every place and at all times by males. But females — whether they shaved or whether they were shaved — are exempt. And [it is] like they, may their memory be blessed, expounded (Kiddushin 35b), “‘You shall not encircle the corner of your head and you shall not destroy the corner of your beard’ — whoever has, do not destroy, etc.” And nonetheless it is forbidden for them to shave the male, and even a minor. And slaves — even though they are in the category of women regarding many commandments — are liable for this, since they have a beard. And [those the sex of which is in doubt], behold [the law is in] doubt, and we give them the stringencies of the male and the female in this and in every place, and they are obligated in everything. But if they transgressed — [because of the] doubt they are not lashed. And related to this matter, I will write the principle that they, may their memory be blessed, taught us about the commandments for women — even though my way is to write it specifically about each and every commandment; since from between the principle and the specific case, the reader will remember it. And this is it: It is one, that [both] men and women are obligated in all of the negative commandments in the Torah, except for do not encircle, do not destroy and do not become impure by the dead. And women are exempt from all positive commandments determined by time, except for kiddush, matsah, eating the Pesach sacrifice, gathering and joy [on the holiday]. But they also said that we do not learn from principles — even in a place in which it is said about them, “except” [to conclude that these are the only exceptions]. As in order to shorten his principles, the one who generalizes will not concern himself with small things that differ from the principle, to put them into the book. And one who transgresses this and shaves one corner of the head is liable for one [set of] lashes. But if he shaved two temples — and even at one time with one warning — he is liable for two [sets of] lashes. (See Makkot 20a.) And the transcriber wrote in the name of Rambam, may his memory be blessed (Sefer HaMitzvot, Negative Commandments 43), “And it is fitting that we not count them as two commandments, even though he is lashed [twice], since both of them are written within one negative commandment. As had it stated, ‘You shall not encircle the right corner of your head and the left corner of your head,’ and we had found that they are liable two [sets of lashes] for them; then it would have been permitted to say that we count them as two commandments. However, in that it is one word and one subject, it is truly [only] one commandment. And even though it comes in the explanation that it includes various parts of the body and that he is obligated for each one of them by itself; nonetheless, it does not require that they be several commandments.” To here is his language.