To not make a bald spot for the dead: To not make bald the hair of the head [in mourning] for the dead, like those lacking intellect do. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 14:1), “and do not place a bald spot between your eyes for the dead.” And this prohibition is repeated about the priests, as it is stated about them (Leviticus 21:5), “They shall not shave a bald spot upon their heads.” And we learned from there to make liable [for] upon the head like between the eyes, as it comes in Tractate Makkot 20a. And from this verse [in Deuteronomy], they also learned that there is only liability for a bald spot when it is a bald spot specifically for the dead. And it comes out that with the two verses, there is completion of the commandment and its elucidation: That all — whether Israelite or whether priest — are liable for the whole head, like between the eyes. And you should not ask in this place and in any thing similar to it, why all of the elucidation of the verse is not in one place. For is your mind not put to rest about these matters in many places with my introduction that I wrote to you at the beginning of this book of Deuteronomy?
From the laws of the commandment — that which they, may their memory be blessed, said that one who made one bald spot for five dead is lashed five [sets of lashes], and that one who makes five bald spots for one dead is [also] lashed five [sets] (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 12:15) when they warned him on it about each and every one; [that] one who makes a bald spot by hand or with a medication is liable, and even if he submerged his fingers in the medication and placed them in five places on his head at one time, since he made five bald spaces, he is lashed [five sets], even though he only got one warning, since [the bald spots] came at the same time; and the rest of the details of the commandment — are at the end of Tractate Makkot. And all of its content is exactly like the law of its fellow that precedes it.
שֶׁלֹּא לִקְרֹחַ עַל מֵת – שֶׁלֹּא לִקְרֹחַ שְׂעַר הָרֹאשׁ עַל הַמֵּתִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ חַסְרֵי הַדַּעַת, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים יד א) וְלֹא תָשִׂימוּ קָרְחָה בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם לָמֵת. וְנִכְפַּל לָאו זֶה עַל הַכֹּהֲנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר עֲלֵיהֶם (ויקרא כא, ה) לֹא יִקְרְחוּ קָרְחָה בְּרֹאשָׁם. וְלָמַדְנוּ מִשָּׁם לְחַיֵּב עַל כָּל הָרֹאשׁ כְּמוֹ בְּבֵין הָעֵינַיִם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁבָּא בְּמַסֶּכֶת מַכּוֹת (כ, א). וּמִן הַכָּתוּב הַזֶּה לָמְדוּ גַּם כֵּן שֶׁאֵין הַחִיּוּב בְּקָרְחָה כִּי אִם הַקּוֹרֵחַ עַל מֵת דַּוְקָא, וְנִמְצָא עִם שְׁנֵי הַכְּתוּבִים תַּשְׁלוּם הַמִּצְוָה וּבֵאוּרָהּ בֵּין בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין בַּכֹּהֲנִים, שֶׁהַכֹּל מִתְחַיְּבִין עַל כָּל הָרֹאשׁ כְּבֵין הָעֵינַיִם. וְאֵין לְךָ לִשְׁאֹל בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וּבְכָל כַּיּוֹצֵא בוֹ לָמָּה לֹא בָּא בֵּאוּר הַכָּתוּב כֻּלּוֹ בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד, עִם הַהַקְדָּמָה שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי לְךָ בְּרֹאשׁ סֵפֶר זֶה שֶׁל אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים, הֲלֹא הִיא תַּנִּיחַ דַּעְתְּךָ בְּעִנְיָנִים אֵלֶּה בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים.
To not make a bald spot for the dead: To not make bald the hair of the head [in mourning] for the dead, like those lacking intellect do. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 14:1), “and do not place a bald spot between your eyes for the dead.” And this prohibition is repeated about the priests, as it is stated about them (Leviticus 21:5), “They shall not shave a bald spot upon their heads.” And we learned from there to make liable [for] upon the head like between the eyes, as it comes in Tractate Makkot 20a. And from this verse [in Deuteronomy], they also learned that there is only liability for a bald spot when it is a bald spot specifically for the dead. And it comes out that with the two verses, there is completion of the commandment and its elucidation: That all — whether Israelite or whether priest — are liable for the whole head, like between the eyes. And you should not ask in this place and in any thing similar to it, why all of the elucidation of the verse is not in one place. For is your mind not put to rest about these matters in many places with my introduction that I wrote to you at the beginning of this book of Deuteronomy?
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. כָּתוּב בַּמִּצְוָה הַקּוֹדֶמֶת.
It is written from the roots of the commandment in the previous commandment.
מִדִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה שֶׁהַקּוֹרֵחַ קָרְחָה אַחַת עַל חֲמִשָּׁה מֵתִים לוֹקֶה חָמֵשׁ. וְהַקּוֹרֵחַ חָמֵשׁ קָרְחוֹת עַל מֵת אֶחָד לוֹקֶה חָמֵשׁ (רמב"ם ע"ז יב טו), כְּשֶׁהִתְרוּ בּוֹ עַל כָּל אַחַת וְאַחַת. הַקּוֹרֵחַ בַּיָּד אוֹ בְּסַם חַיָּב, וַאֲפִלּוּ הִטְבִּיל אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו בְּסַם וְהִנִּיחָן בַּחֲמִשָּׁה מְקוֹמוֹת בְּרֹאשׁוֹ בְּבַת אַחַת, הוֹאִיל וְקָרַח חָמֵשׁ קָרְחוֹת לוֹקֶה חָמֵשׁ, וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִיא הַתְרָאָה אַחַת, הוֹאִיל וְכֻלָּן בָּאִין כְּאַחַת. וְיֶתֶר פְּרָטֵי הַמִּצְוָה, בְּסוֹף מַכּוֹת, וְכָל עִנְיָנָהּ כְּדִין חֲבֶרְתָּהּ הַקּוֹדֶמֶת בְּשָׁוֶה.
From the laws of the commandment — that which they, may their memory be blessed, said that one who made one bald spot for five dead is lashed five [sets of lashes], and that one who makes five bald spots for one dead is [also] lashed five [sets] (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 12:15) when they warned him on it about each and every one; [that] one who makes a bald spot by hand or with a medication is liable, and even if he submerged his fingers in the medication and placed them in five places on his head at one time, since he made five bald spaces, he is lashed [five sets], even though he only got one warning, since [the bald spots] came at the same time; and the rest of the details of the commandment — are at the end of Tractate Makkot. And all of its content is exactly like the law of its fellow that precedes it.