"There Are Two Ways To Read This"

(Picture courtesy of jewishgen.org)

A Yid commenting on A Question From Levi Yitzchock - Peyos Minhagim:

Reb Chaim Vital simply says, that Arizal did cut his peyos, so they wouldn't go into "zokeyn mamash", i.e. actual beard. The Arizal says nothing about cheek bone.

There are two ways to read this:

1. Simply the beginning of the beard (i.e. cheek bone). This understanding is used by Chabad and Chernobyl.

2. The beard under one's chin (here the "mamash" is stressed, i.e. the actual beard is understood as the part of the beard underneath one's chin. This is practiced by many chasidim, including Breslov).

So you can see these are both legitimate ways of reading Arizal. So one shouldn't negate the other. So if someone is pushing you about it, you can say that these both traditions have a right to be used, and they shouldn't push you.

Now concerning those who wear very long peyos beneath the chin even, or not cut them at all. There is no reason for this al pi Kabolo. On the contrary, Arizal says, that peyos below that length are not good because of klipos. In Breslov, many chasidim follow the second view, and let peyos grow until one's chin. So do those who have a mesoyro in Breslov. The trend to make peyos very long below chin is a non-traditional an innovation by some newcomers to Breslov.

Now regarding Chabad. Many in Chabad today for some reason not only cut peyos short, but make them unnoticeable at all. There is no good reason for it. Also it is known, that Rayatz ztz"l had somewhat long peyos, wearing them under his yarmulke. On photos of old Chabad chasidim you can see pretty noticeable peyos.

Also note, that in Russia and Ukraine, there was a gzeyro prohibiting wearing long peyos introduced by the evil Tsar Nikolay I. For this reason virtually all Russian chasidim didn't wear long peyos for a long period of time.