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Is it permitted to cut nails during Chol HaMoed?
Question
Hello and greetings, I would like to ask if it is permitted to cut nails during Chol HaMoed? Thank you very much
Answer
Festivals are a time of joy,
According to the custom of the Sephardim, it is permitted to cut nails during Chol HaMoed (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 531:1). However, according to the custom of the Ashkenazim, one should not cut nails with a tool (Rema there). Nevertheless, it is permitted to do so with one's teeth or hands (Mishnah Berurah 531:3).
Even according to the Ashkenazi custom, someone who cut his nails on the eve of Yom Tov, and they have grown again, is permitted to cut them during Chol HaMoed even with a tool (Mishnah Berurah 531:2). Furthermore, if not cutting his nails will cause him to have difficulty in washing hands (due to difficulty in cleaning dirt from under the nails), he is allowed to cut them with a tool (see Rema there).
Blessings,
Hillel Meirs
