Pesach 5722 starts on Friday night - erev Shabat -which means that in homes that follw a North African tradition - and others, too - Shabat will be welcomed with a difference.
While everyone, albeit mostly the ladies, have been making sure our homes are hametz-free zones, men have a special task to complete before Shabat.
The task - get a haircut.
Sefardi, Mizrachi, and Ashkenazi traditions hold that men don't get haircuts from the beginning of the Omer (Pesach's second night) until the 33 (ל''ג) day of the Omer (עומר). Some delay the shearing until just before Shavuot (שבועות).
None of my sources said anything about women cutting their hair during the omer.
See April 27 addition at the bottom for a ruling on haircuts for women and children>
Hakham Shalom Messas (ע''ה) writes in ילקוט שמ''ש on the laws of counting the omer (Page 109, Paragraph קמג) that "many hasidim and observant Jew{ish men} (חסידים ואנשי מעשי) don't cut their beards (מגלחים זקנם) during the days of the omer.
He explains that according to Maran (Yosef Caro) it is a tradition not to get haircuts until the 33rd day of the omer (ל''ג בעומר), adding that the tradition is not among "all the people" (כל העם).
He explains that among the hasidim and observant Jew{ish men} -see Hebrew, above - who follow Maran's decision do not shave (מגלחים זקנם) until the 33rd day. Some, however, follow the Arizal (אריז''ל) and refrain from cutting hair until erev Shavuot.
Hakham Mordekhai Eliahu (ע''ה) in his comments to the Kitzur Shulhan Aruk (Page 399), writes that we (Sefardim and Mizrachim) have a tradition not to get haircuts (להסתפר) until the 33rd day of the omer. Additionally, we don't listen to live music or music played on the radio until the 33rd day.
If the 33rd day falls on Shabat, we get haircuts Friday before Shabat; howeveer, if the 33rd falls on Sunday, we wait until after Shabat for our first post-Pesach haircut.
How short a haircut? Short enough so that it won't look to shaggy before the 33rd day of the omer.
What about men who must look neat "no matter what"?
Remembering my constant caveat that "I am not a rabbi and I don't play one on tv," I would think that, based on other rulings, if income depends upon appearance, men probably could get a trim, BUT ASK YOUR RABBI.
(Rabbis are invited to comment. I will append your comments to this file.)
Sources: While I normally cite only North African sources and Hakham Eliah, there is one other source that rates a special place in my personal library and I commend that source to all Jews: the book is יהדות הלכה למעשה by the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel (and current Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yafo), R. Israel Meir Lau. R. Lau is a special person, a rabbi who recognizes and appreciates others' customs and traditions and documents them in this book. The book is in relatively simple Hebrew and generally eschews abbreviations, roshi tabot (ראשי תיבות) that, frankly, give me a headache. His book was given to me by the son of a Syrian rabbi who feels the same way about R. Lau. If ever Israel was to have just one "Chief Rabbi," I would happily nominate R. Israel Meir Lau.
April 27 2012
In R. Rabbi Eli J. Mansour's Daily Halacha, he writes that "Women and young children may take haircuts during the period of Sefirat Ha’omer. Children who have reached the age of Misva training (five or six) should not take haircuts, but they may in situations of need."
R. Mansour cites his scources in the full article on his Web site:
http://www.dailyhalacha.com/Display.asp?PageIndex=&ClipID=2313
