The Torah's attitude towards hair is seemingly conflicted. The Nazir's hair is holy; the Levite in the desert had to shave his hair. The beard and payot (the sideburns of a man's beard) should not be touched; a woman's hair must be covered. The hair of the leper and the "yefat to'ar" must be shaved; the hair of Samson was the source of his strength.

In the supernal worlds as well we find this paradox. The "hair" of Atika Kadisha is the source of life for all worlds.

[Atik, "ancient," or "detached" refers to the sphere that is beyond the order of creation. In Atik, the Zohar says, "there is no left side"--it is beyond the source for concealment. The "hairs of Atik," though, i.e., the energy of Atik extremely filtered, serve as the source of creation. For creation can only come into being through the concealment of the Divine.] Hair represents extreme filtering of vitality, tzimtzum

The hair of Nukva (malchut), by contrast, is a source of vitality for negative energies.

Hair represents extreme filtering of vitality, tzimtzum. (A person therefore experiences no pain when his hair is cut.) The energy found in the hair is the "surplus of the brain." Therefore, the source of the hair or "surplus," will determine whether the hair is positive or negative.

Example: The Zohar (3:47b) cites the custom of Rabbi Hamnuna the Elder, who would preface his teachings of wisdom with a teaching of "shtut," foolishness. (Similarly, the Talmud (Shabbat 30b) tells of Rabba's custom to preface his lectures with a joke.) Obviously, this does not mean literal foolishness, G‑d forbid. Rather, this refers to the "surplus" of his wisdom, which is compared to hair.

The "surplus" of the brain of a mystic, what is called "foolishness" and a "joke," contains deep wisdom. As the Talmud comments—on the verse in Psalms (1:3), regarding the righteous, its leaf does not wither--"The mundane talk of scholars should be studied." (Sukka 21b) Even the leaf of the righteous, which is subordinate to the main thing, the fruit, is substantial and does not wither. Similarly, his "mundane" talk, which is subordinate to his principal wisdom, is substantial and requires analysis.

Such surplus, or hair, can be compared to the hair of Atik, which is only goodness.

On the other hand, the "brain surplus" of the average person, his shtut, or joke or mundane talk does not contain any wisdom and in fact distracts him from Divine consciousness.

Similarly, the "hair" of Nukva, the extreme filtering of malchut, which is the lowest sefira and is within the order of creation, allows for the sustenance of negative forces. The hair of the captive soul...refers to the scattering of the soul's energies...to worthless endeavors

Thus the hair of the Nazir (or the beard and payot of any man), which derives its energy from Atika Kadisha, as the Arizal writes in parashat Naso, should not be cut.

The hair of a woman, by contrast, which derives from Nukva of Atzilut, must be covered, since it can allow for the sustenance of negative forces.

[The Tzemach Tzedek also compares hair to a parable. The parable is an indirect expression of the principal wisdom and allows a person of lower understanding to perceive the wisdom of a great sage, which would otherwise be inaccessible. A metaphor given by a fool, or even one whose wisdom is not profound, is empty words, since the idea can be conveyed directly.]

On a personal level, the hair of the captive soul, which must be shorn, refers to the scattering of the soul's energies—its mind and heart—to worthless endeavors. This is the "surplus" of the soul, which must be cut off in order for the soul to reconnect with its higher aspect, its mazal.

Based on discourses in Likutei Torah p. 36a ff. and Derech Mitzvotecha p. 208 ff

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