Perhaps the initiative of rabbonim in Modi’in Illit will lead to yet another kashrus industry, the supervision of barber shops. Barber shops in the chareidi city are being compelled to obtain certification.
The barbers recently attended a lecture, instructed to attend, during which the halachos pertaining to haircuts and shaving were reviewed, and they committed to comply with these halachos when giving haircuts to their patrons. They were taught about where they cannot cut, the laws pertaining to maintaining one’s peyos, cutting beards and other relevant information.
According to the BeChadrei Chareidim report, as is the case with butcher shops, a frum Yid does not buy in a butcher shop without a hechsher, even if the owner if frum, and now, in Modi’in Illit, the same will be true for barbers for the kashrus certification tells clients the barbers have reviewed the halachos, they are familiar with the appropriate halachos, and will act only in line with halacha.
According to the report, Rabbi Avraham Chaim Adas and Rabbi Ephraim Rothchild are behind the intuitive, to give a certification to barber shops. The certified barber shops will only give ‘kosher haircuts’. When questioned, Rav Adas, who penned a sefer פאת זקנך, insists the initiative is not extreme, but quite a reasonable effort. The rav added he is aware of a number of places which tried to implement the initiative, but it did not occur due to one difficulty or another.
“After the public becomes accustomed to public supervision, it will be surprised to see how they entered a barber shop without supervision, and relied on it with their eyes closed, as if everything was Torah from Sinai, and the seforim need reinforcement because they are exposed to experience of the barber,” BeChadrei quotes Rav Addis explaining.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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19 Responses
Let us see if this hechsher will be given free of charge.
In case the article wasn’t clear, this is a “voluntary” certification but in a frum community such as Modi’in Illit, a barber shop would risk losing a substantial portion of its clientele if it did not obtain hashgacha of sorts. Everyone retains the right to use the barber of their choice and there is no coercion .
A more accurate headline, assuming the text of the article is correct, would have read “… rabbonim offer barbers option to qualify for hecksher”. Barbers who choose to ignore it can legally continue their trade, and customers decide if one needs a hecksher.
Coming soon :
Supervisors showing up at your front door for the following:
1.)Making sure everyone washes nevel vasser.
2.)Making sure all kids go to school.
3.) Making sure finger and toe nails were cut in the right order.
4.)making sure one uses precut toilet paper for shabbis.
5.)making sure adults get up for minyan.
6.)making sure veggies and fruit arent buggy.
7.)making sure you use the right hecheherim on food.
8.) Making sure the sheitlach dont contain induan hair.
9.) Making sure you arent wearing shatnez.
10.) Making sure you gave 3 sets of dishes.
If this certification costs money, then its just another cheap way of making money for themselves, will only accept they are sincere if its no charge
‘a frum Yid does not buy in a butcher shop without a hechsher, even if the owner is frum’
What!!!??? The owner being Frum is the only thing that matters when buying meat at a butcher!! Who cares about a meaningless hashgocho, if the owner is Frum!!??
Are barbers required to pay for this hashgacha?
In a butcher shop you need a hechsher because you don’t see the process, by a haircut (unless you left your head there and are coming to pick it up later) you witnessed the entire thing yourself. I fail to see the comparison.
Great idea. My local barber shop has posted a list of over a dozen mitzvos that one can fulfill, with every haircut.
Waiting for the day mashgichim were sent around to make sure:
* Molesters weren’t hanging around in streets and mikva
*Underage smokers were repremanded.
*telling stores to stop selling expired products.
*Telling the frum robocallers to stop with thier rediculous calling all day.
Are they also going to provide a mashgiach to ensure that while the barber is cutting the hair he wont cut to close or in a spot where he is not permitted to?
If they were really kanoi they’d make him remove the picture of Herzl
I remove my glasses when I get a haircut, so I can never tell what they’re doing.
I think it’s brilliant. How many times do we got to a barber and he merrily snips away at peyos, and you have no idea if he knows the halochos at all??
This is an excellent idea and I hope will be imitated by other communities.
Ashkenazic mentality
Why not just patronize frum barbers who know the halachos?
yungerman123:
Perhaps because there are very few of these. Or because the other barbers do a better job.
It’s so simple. Wrap the peyos in foil or Saran Wrap before the haircut. Maybe roll them up in curlers or rubber bands. Then any barber will leave them alone.