What is a Jewish beard?

A Jewish beard has deep roots in Jewish culture, according to the Torah and in the Kabbalah. The Torah forbids the use of a razor. Trimming or shaving with other tools is allowed as long as the beard is not shaved smooth.

The traditional Jewish beard is now worn primarily by followers of Chabad Chassidim, who practice a strict, traditional Judaism and subscribe to prohibitions on the "destruction" of the beard more stringently. The teachings of the Torah associate shaving with ancient idol worshippers.

Until the mid-19th century, most European Jews, especially Eastern European, wore beards. Under the influence of modern enlightenment ideas, most Jewish men came to believe that beards lent a backwards or old-fashioned look inappropriate to assimilation. Chassidim, adhering to a strict and traditional Judaism, however, clings to the Jewish beard.