Getting a kosher haircut TB Nazir 58

Starting with yesterday’s daf and continuing on today’s daf TB Nazir 58, the Gemara is bothered by a problem. Yesterday we learned about two nezirim, one is tamei and the other one is tahor, but we don’t know which one is which. The Mishnah provides a solution that raises a problem. After the third set of sacrifices, both nezirim shave their head. The tamei nazir is observing a mitzvah. However, the nazir who is tahor is violating the prohibition “against rounding the head (hakafat harosh-הַקָּפַת הָרֹאש), i.e., shaving the hair on the sides of the head (see Leviticus 19:27), when he shaves his hair unnecessarily. Since one of them does not need to shave, he thereby transgresses a mitzva by Torah law” (Sefaria.org translation)

The Gemara sees both sides of the question whether or not shaving the entire head and not just the corners violates the prohibition of rounding the head, i.e. the sideburns. The discussions long and complicated. One can recognize a person who observes this prohibition by letting his side locks grow long. The side locks are called Pe'ot, anglicized as payot (פֵּאֹת).

Nevertheless, the Gemara explains how a person can have a normal haircut and still observe this prohibition. “And from where do we derive that a leper must shave with a razor? As it is taught in a baraita: “Neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard” (Leviticus 21:5). One might have thought that priests should be liable even if they shaved their beards with scissors. The verse states: “And you shall not destroy the corners of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27), which teaches that the prohibition applies only to the destruction of the beard from its roots. If the sole criterion is the phrase “you shall not destroy,” one might have thought that if he extracted his hair with tweezers or removed his hair with a carpenter’s plane, he should likewise be liable due to the prohibition against destroying his hair.” (Sefaria.org translation) The person can observe this commandment when the barber trims him with an electric hair shaver which motion of removing the hair is a kin to a scissors.