By: Rabbi Rory Meyerson
In Pirkei Avos, Rabbi Akiva (3:14) tells us:
חָבִיב אָדָם שֶׁנִּבְרָא בְּצֶלֶם
Beloved is Man who is created in the image of Hashem.
Rabbi Akiva is teaching that the inherent פנימיות of a person is חביב — beloved. Each individual Jew is cherished by Hashem.
Yet the Mishnah uses the word צלם, which can imply an external form. Is there an outer appearance that a Jew ought to have?
Perhaps we can gain insight from a pasuk in last week’s parsha (Vayikra 19:27):
לֹא תַקִּפוּ פְּאַת רֹאשְׁכֶם וְלֹא תַשְׁחִית אֵת פְּאַת זְקָנֶךָ
“You shall not round the corners of your head, and you shall not destroy the corners of your beard.”
While this pasuk addresses the prohibition of shaving with a razor, it would be incomplete to end the discussion there. The Gemara (Shabbos 152a) states:
“הֲדַרַת פָּנִים זָקָן” — “The glory of a person’s face is his beard.”
How can something as simple as a beard be described as a person’s glory?
More broadly, why have Jews throughout history worn beards? Does this carry relevance today, especially with the advent of electric shavers? Should one still strive to grow a beard?
There is a unique calling within the Jewish people — a quiet but persistent desire to remain distinct from the surrounding culture. Not as a rejection of others, but as a steady declaration: we are Yidden, and therefore we are different.
The Chafetz Chaim (Sefer Tiferes Adam) strongly cautions against removing one’s beard for Kabbalistic reasons. He writes that cutting the beard severs the “spiritual pipelines” through which holiness flows. In this sense, the beard is not merely an external feature — it is a spiritual conduit.
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky would often encourage people to grow beards, as it is a source for both פרנסה and רפואה.
A story is told of a man who needed to donate a kidney to a family member. As a כהן, he hesitated — concerned that he might become a בעל מום and be disqualified from the עבודה in the בית המקדש.
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky told him:
“You should donate the kidney. Missing an internal organ is not a מום. It is a great mitzvah.”
As the man was leaving, Rav Chaim added:
“In any case, you are already disqualified from the עבודה. The Ramban says that a כהן without a beard is disqualified. You shave your beard — so you are disqualified.”
Although this is not למעשה הלכה, Rav Chaim is teaching an important point in our עבודת ה׳.
Ultimately, whether one wears a beard or not, we are all created בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹקִים.
The Satmar Rav was once asked why he held such respect for the clean-shaven Mike Tress. He replied:
“In Heaven, Mike will be asked: ‘Jew, Jew — where is your beard?’
But the bearded critic will be asked: ‘Beard, beard — where is your Jew?’”
May we all be זוכה to remember that while appearance has its place, the essence of our עבודת ה׳ lies in our learning, our תפילה, and our character. Whether one has a beard or not, every person carries inherent worth as they are created בצלם אלקים. The external form may vary — but it is the פנימיות that truly defines who we are.
Taken from the Kollel Avreichim Hollywood
