Of recent I have begun to remove my beard with depilatory cream. There are numerous reasons for myself having done so:
1. An electric shaver always used to give me a very terrible rash, particularly under my neck. With the depilatory cream I have not found that to be a problem. I have also found that the cream leaves the skin smoother and removes the hair more effectively than an electric shaver.
2. For halachic reasons the use of depilatory cream is “better”. There are many poskim who disapprove of the use of the electric shaving including (The Chazon Ish, The Steipler, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, The Chofetz Chaim, Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Elyashiv, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurebach and others1). The above mentioned poskim take views ranging from outright prohibition to a sense of weariness about the validity of the electric shaver.
3. It is true that the electric shaver has been sanctioned by use by Rav Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986) and Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin (1880-1973), however I have a couple of questions on their ruling being applicable today. The questions are not on the halachic arguments behind the leniency, but rather whether the mechanics of the electric shavers are in reality working according to their halachic underpinnings. The electric shaver has changed a lot over the last 20 – 30 years, with faster enginges and sharper blades. Also the introduction of the lift & cut mechanism has been seen by many to be problematic.
4. The following questions as extracted from Rabbi Yisrael Rosen’s2 lecture to students in the Gush Yeshiva in 20023, made me more aware of the difficulty in discerning answers to the above question.
ii. Does the blade touch the skin? If the machine pulls in the hair, perhaps the skin is also pulled through the openings in the screen.
iii. Does the machine cut the hair solely with the blade like a lawn mower, or with a scissors-like action, the protective screen functioning as a second blade?
iv. The article then goes on to say the following: “In recent years, Machon Tzomet has ceased dealing with this issue, because close-up photographs taken by the Phillips Company have revealed that even with respect to shavers that had been declared "kosher," the blade usually cuts the hair even before it touches the screen. Thus, we are once again faced with the basic question: Either all shavers are kosher or they are all forbidden. Rabbi Rappaport, however, remains firm in his position, and continues to test shavers, just as he had done prior to the publication of the photographs.”
So in summary, I hope my actions would not be seen to be in the category of acting “overly righteous”, however I feel the above mentioned concerns are worthy of consideration. It is not my attention in this post to stop others from using the electric shaver, one has to follow the postion of one’s own posek. However I hope that this post would a) make one more aware of the issues involved and b) creater a greater respect for those holy individuals among our community who do not remove their beard at all.
1 See [http://www.koshershaver.info] for more sources
2 Head of the Zomet. The Zomet Institute was established in 1988 in Alon Shevut,Gush Etzionwith the goal of addressing problems of:a) Halacha & Technology b) Torah & Science c) Judaism & Modern Society [http://moreshet.co.il/zomet/index-e.html]
3 [http://vbm-torah.org/archive/halak65/11halak.htm]