Sunday, August 14, 2011

17th century Jewish haircuts?

Here's an interesting illustration from a 1695 book on the biblical prohibitions of various kinds of shaving called 'Comam Hebraeorum licitam & interdictam,' or, Lawful and Forbidden Haircuts of the Hebrews, by Theodorus Dassovius.

The illustrations show the parts of a man's beard and sides which are forbidden by Leviticus 19:27 to cut. I can't make out the full caption for the woman, but I'm assuming that Dassovius does not assume, unlike rabbinic law, that women are exempt from this prohibition and therefore illustrates how he sees the prohibition on the hair of a Jewish woman. Below them is the specific kind of haircut that, according to him, Leviticus 19:27 forbids. In the book everyone from Alshech to Martin Luther is cited.

1 comment:

  1. Sorry, Dassovius, but http://kosherhaircut.com is already taken.
    -Phil

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