Short Haircuts

How do the US Military regulations on grooming standards compare to the directives found in Leviticus 19:27 regarding hair and beards?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

While I am not familiar with US Military regulations on grooming standards, and in fact, they do change every couple of years I will comment on the passage in Leviticus that you have referenced.

The Torah tells us that “You shall not round off the corners of your head” which is a prohibition against completely cutting off the hair at the “corners” of one’s head. This area of hair is known as the “peyot” in Jewish law.

The area of the head that is subject to the prohibition against “rounding” or more accurately, making bald, is from the top of one’s ear to the hairline on one’s forehead. It then extends downwards to where the lower boundary is the bottom of the ear at either the top of the earlobe some are machmir till the bottom of the earlobe. The entire width of one’s sideburns is included. Such hair may not be bald: there must always be a length of hair of about 5 mm which is a "#2" comb on most trimmers. Some allow as little as 1 mm if need be. The hair in this area, as well as hair anywhere on the face, may not be removed with a razor blade.

Some are lenient untill till were the upper jawbone separates from the skull bone, which can be felt when one opens one’s mouth (this is approximately at the middle of one’s ear).

One may not remove one’s peyot oneself nor may one allow a non-Jewish barber to do so. Women are not subject to any peyot restrictions, and the can shave their entire head bald should they so desire.

I will also add that Judaism encourages short hair on men for a number of reasons, such as to ensure a snug fit of the tefillin on the head and the fact that short hair is generally a more dignified and respectable look.

YD 181 and commentaries