Why Do Hasidic Jewish Men Have Side Curls?

 

 

The bone which delineates the forbidden boundary is called the Zygomatic Process of the Temporal Bone. According to Jewish law, you cannot cut, trim or shave the hair above this bone. The question which Jews are not all unanimous about is: what do you do below this bone. Here are the different possibilities:

- Many religious Jews will fully cut or shave their hair below this line. So they will simply have fairly- typical sideburns which do not stand out or attract much attention.

- Then there are some who maintain their hair longer here beyond the line - so it's openly visible - but they trim it or cut it occasionally.

- Finally, most of the strictest Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jews do not ever cut their hair below the line. Therefore, they have conspicuous, pronounced bunches of hair that protrude here.

 

 

Reason for the sidecurl rules

The reason for Ultra-Orthodox males' hair and curl rules is the following: the original basis is a Biblical scripture which states that a man should not "round the corner of his head." Authoritative talmudic scholars have determined that the meaning of this scripture is that there should be a hair cutting restriction. Then the scholars went on to define the details of these sidecurl restrictions. Since the details were not extensively spelled out in the Bible itself, the scholars had a discourse - including debates and minor disagreements - about the precise parameters of the rule. This is one possible reason why there is some variety among how strictly the restrictions are adhered to among different groups of Jews. This is also typically how Jewish laws work in general - as little as one single Biblical scripture has been analyzed by many sages and they define extensive, detailed guidelines and rules out of it.
As for the reason behind the hair rule - the reason why the scripture dictates this restriction - there is generally not a clearly known reason. It is commonly thought that this is a type of commandment which G-d has provided no explanation for. G-d simply instructed it, and devout Jews are expected to adhere.
Overall, many of the 613 Jewish commandments are based with logic or practicality (such as washing one's hands before eating) while other commandments are dictated with no explanation and the worshiper is expected to follow without questioning it.

 

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Payos sidecurl styles

There are numerous ways which payos ringlets are worn. Here are the most common:

- Twisted curls hanging freely. This is the most conspicuous style that attracts curiosity. The payos are wrapped circularly and hang down off of the wearer's head. A common length would about 3-5 inches long, in their curled state. If they were stretched out fully they'd be longer. There are various ways in which the hair can be shaped into curls. One way is to apply hair gel and then twist the hair into curls using a brush. Another possible way could be to wrap the hair around a stick or pencil.

- Free hanging but not twisted or curled. The hair simply hangs down naturally. These payos sidelocks could be kept thin and narrow, or they might be thick and bushy.

- Wrapped behind the ear. The payos sidecurls are wrapped behind the wearer's ear, and therefore are less visible. One reason why this might be done is to make them less noticeable. This could also be convenient if conducting an activity where the payos hair might get in the way.

These different styles of wearing the payos sidecurls are not specifically based on scripture. These are simply fashion modes that likely evolved for different reasons, including practicality and convenience.

 

 

Beards

Many Orthodox Jews are known for wearing a beard. The reason for the beard is as follows: there are regulations on how a man may shave his facial hair. Most Orthodox Jews will not use a razor to shave - instead they will use an electric shaving device. Other Hasidic Jews go further with this and they do not shave at all. They are making a clear open statement that they go above and beyond the minimal requirements of the rules.
Unlike women's hair rules that only apply upon marriage, mens' beard rules apply immediately when a teenager starts to grow facial hair.

 

Hats and head coverings

Orthodox Jewish men are known for wearing hats or head coverings. There are several different headwear items which they may use. The most basic is called a "Yarmulke" or "Kippah." A Hasidic Yarmulke is usually made of velvet and covers the head only partially. An observant Jewish man will always have this on his head. This is an essential rule, and the purpose is to remind himself constantly that G-d is above him in heaven. With any other hat that an Ultra-Orthodox man wears, he will still be wearing a Yarmulke underneath.

Hasidic Jewish men also frequently wear hats. There is a variety, although all of them are usually a black color. The hat is a European Jewish tradition to wear while praying, and many men will go further and wear it all of the time. The basic hat worn on weekdays commonly resembles a fedora or bowler hat. On Sabbath and holiday festivals, a fancier hat is worn, made of velvet or fur. This grand hat is known as a "Shtreimel" in Yiddish. A young man begins to wear a shtreimel upon marriage. Some fur streimels can cost $1000 or more.

 

 

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Mens' body garments

Ultra Orthodox men and boys typically have their full bodies covered, even though modesty rules are stricter for women. Clothing is mainly black, with some white color. The basis for the clothing customs is the following: it was considered formal or respectable attire in Eastern Europe back when Hasidic Jews lived there (1700's, 1800's and early 1900's).
Commonly, a man will wear some/all of the following:

- A long jacket or frock coat. We'll explain about the jackets soon.

- A special 4-cornered white or yellow garment called 'Tzitzis.' There might be white strings hanging down from here.

- A white formal button-up shirt.

- Socks pulled up the calves. Sometimes they are white color.

- A white-yellow prayer shawl wrapped over the back and/or head. If a man is wearing this shawl then he is probably enroute to prayer or Talmudic study. If this is the case, he might also be carrying a soft square plastic case which contains his prayer phylacteries (called "Tefillin").

The "Tzitizis" mentioned above, is another case where people go beyond the actual requirement, because the original rule of tzitzis only applies to a garment that has 4 corners. Such a garment must have special string fringes tied to each corner (the strings are usually a white color). A garment which does not have 4 distinctive corners does not need to have any strings tied to it. Therefore if none of your clothing has 4-corners then you don't need to follow this rule. However most Ultra-Orthodox men deliberately wear a special designated 4-cornered garment which was made solely for this purpose. This garment is worn underneath their shirt or jacket and the strings are untucked in order to hang out and be openly visible. The reason for Tzitsis is so that the wearer will be reminded of G-d whenever he sees the strings.

 

 

Mens' jackets

Commonly, on top of their shirt a Hasidic man will wear a formal jacket or frock coat. All jackets are usually long (extending down until around the knees or lower) and are a black color. On weekdays there is a basic jacket called a "Rekel." For Sabbath and holidays there is a fancier one called a "Bekesheh." A bekesheh may have some basic shapes or patterns on it. A detailed pattern on the bekesheh might suggest a higher status of piety for the man wearing it. Many jackets are secured with a special belt called a "Gartel." A gartel is narrow and long, possibly wrapping around the body several times and then tied with a knot.
Frequently, underneath a man's jacket he will be wearing a formal vest (like the type of vest which is part of a 3-piece suit). Under the vest will be Tzitsis. Under the tzitsis will be a button-up shirt. So a Hasidic Jewish man might be wearing 4 layers on their torso, plus maybe even a 5th layer of a prayer shawl. These layers are worn all year, even in the summer.

 

 

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Where are Hasidic Jews from?

Although the Jewish religion is over 4000 years old and originates in the Middle East, Ultra Orthodox Hasidic culture began only around 250 years ago - in Eastern Europe. A new movement was introduced that emphasized physical activity (example: dancing) over studying text (example: reading Talmudic books). This movement had a heightened fraternal nature to it - participants formed extremely close-knit communities that centered around a grand rabbi leader (known as a 'Rebbe'). The movement survived through oppression, mass emigration and the Holocaust and is now located mainly in the USA and Israel. However, Hasidic Jewish community affiliations are based on the town or city where their families lived in Europe. There are dozens of sects - corresponding to various places of origin. For example, one of the largest sects is 'Satmar' - named for the city of Satu Mare in Romania. Another sect is called 'Vien' whose origin is from Vienna. Although virtually none of the sect members still live in those cities, the sects maintain their affiliation based on those cities of origin.

 

 

Understanding Hasidic Jewish male appearance

Much of the Ultra-Orthodox culture and rules seem unusual in today's Western society. However in the past this was not as much the case. These sets of clothing and customs used to be less dissimilar to the surrounding people. In fact, the main Hasidic mens' clothing is likely based originally on the style of the surrounding non-Jewish community.
The Hasidic men's clothing attire is based heavily on Eastern Europe in the 1700's or 1800's. Their clothing back then would have not been seen nearly as different. Also, the heavy layers they wear could have been more appropriate in the colder climates of Poland, Russia, Ukraine, etc. where they lived.
The language spoken by Hasidic Jews - Yiddish - is based mainly on German.

Beards, top hats or formal jackets would also have not been unusual in the past. In United States or Europe, almost all men wore hats and jackets until the recent past.

One example of how Hasidic Jewish mens' clothing is not so different from public fashion in the past is: 1800's USA. Frock coats and top hats were common among formal men. Beards were common. And alot of men even had biblical first names which share a similarity with Jewish names. An example of this is Abraham Lincoln - many images show him wearing a long frock coat and beard. In the following image he's even wearing a vest and button-up white shirt, which are also worn by Hasidic men.