Shabbos 50
“Since it is not possible to perform a preparatory action with the earth, one is permitted to use the earth by means of thought alone.”
We are provided with a lesson in grooming today which warns against washing our face on the Sabbath with a depilatory – or in the case of the Talmud – with sand and natron (a type of sodium carbonate which sounds toxic.) The prohibition only applies to men, because women, children and yes, even eunuchs, have no hair on their face that would be in danger of falling out from scrubbing with such an abrasive cleansing mixture.
We are presented with an example of a Nazirite whose vows precluded him from cutting his hair. He was permitted to wash his hair on the Sabbath with a rough mixture of sand and natron as long as he did not comb it through what must have been a type of dreadlocks, which might cause his hair to fall out. The prohibition only applies to men, because women, children and yes, even eunuchs, have no hair on their face that would be in danger of falling out from scrubbing with such an abrasive cleansing mixture.
We are provided with alternative solutions for washing our face on the Sabbath: powdered frankincense, solid residue of jasmine that is squeezed dry of its fragrant oil, ground pepper, and a special mixture of one-third each of aloe, myrtle, and violets. In fact, any mixture is permissible as long as no more than half consists of aloe and it does not cause one’s hair to fall out. Olive oil is an exception any day of the week, because it ruins the olive for consumption. (Olive oil is a primary ingredient in some facial cleansers used today. Here is one that I like: https://www.dhccare.com/olive-concentrated-cleansing-oil.html)
Yesterday’s reading introduced Elisha who was so steadfast in his belief that he had the chutzpah to challenge the Romans. Today there is a mention of the Nazirite who centered their lives on ritual purity. Their reference in today’s text led me to research who they were. Nazarite" comes from the Hebrew word “nazir” which mean “consecrated” or “separated.” Even at a time when there were so many rules for how to live a righteous life, they went over and above what was required and lived an austere existence. They even went further in their demonstration of faith than the Jewish priests, the Kohanim (which is my family’s heritage). They took vows to abstain from all alcohol, cutting of their hair, or contact with the dead in any form. Women were permitted to take these vows. There are pictures online of them with hair reaching down to their feet.
And speaking of hair, I would do anything right now to be able to sit in the chair of my stylist and catch up on our respective lives. I have been seeing her every fourth Saturday for the past thirty years and I consider her family. I know it is important to stay home and this is a small inconvenience compared with the sacrifices made by the medical personnel on the front lines in New York City during the Covid-19 crisis, but I miss the people who were part of my life as recently as last February – my stylist, manicurist, dentist, and even the oncologist who I cannot see right now for my regular screening. February is only two months ago, but it seems like a lifetime. And I cannot fathom what the world will look like in two months from now when it is late June and we are all hopefully tiptoeing into the newly opened and very much changed world with a great deal of trepidation.
Check out my blog: https://brokentabletsfrompennycagan.me