Tehillim 68 — Hair on the Crown of the Head as a Source of Sin

Tehillim 68 — Hair on the Crown of the Head as a Source of Sin

  Tehillim 68  — “Ach Elokim yimahatz rosh oyvav, kodkod se'ar mithalech ba'ashamav” — (But the Almighty will crush the heads of His enemies—the hairy crown of one who walks in his sins).

One day, a married couple came to Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev (of blessed memory).

They came to ask for help on behalf of their son, who had fallen in with a bad crowd and begun to drift away from the Torah.

His parents tried many times to speak with him, but all their efforts were in vain.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak listened to them and said that the young man's hair should be cut—the forelock he had grown out should be trimmed. The parents were very wealthy and ready to give their son whatever he wished, provided that he followed the tzadik's advice. But the young man flatly rejected the proposal and began speaking slanderously about the tzadikim, so his parents had to turn to the rabbi once more. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak then ordered them to bind the young man, bring him to him, and cut his hair against his will. Naturally, this left the parents deeply troubled.

Some of the relatives were outraged: “Is this how one raises a child? We must not listen to this rabbi!” they said. Nevertheless, despite all the objections, the parents understood that there was no other way.

They bound their son, brought him to the Rebbe's home, and cut his forelock. At that moment, a miracle occurred. As soon as the young man was shorn, he began to weep and repent, and asked the rabbi to allow him to become one of his disciples.  

Many people were astonished by what had happened. They wondered what connection there could be between the young man's behavior and his hair.

When Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was asked about it, he replied: “Why, it is written in the Psalms of David! It says in Tehillim: ‘But the Almighty will crush the heads of His enemies—the hairy crown of one who walks in his sins.’

This passage shows that there is a direct connection between the hair on the crown of a person's head and his sinful acts. That is why I said that the situation would be rectified after his hair was cut.”

(“Ahavat Chaim” on Bereishit, Vayeshev)