What is the history of Jewish payis?

Answer 1

פֵּאָוֹת‎ as they are known in Hebrew (English payot, payos, peyot or peyes) are the sidelocks often grown by Orthodox Jewish men. The name comes from pe'ah, meaning literally corners - which in turns comes from the Torah commandment found in Leviticus (19:27) which states: "You shall not round off the peya of your head." Peya was interpreted by the Rabbis as referring to hair growing in front of the ears and also explains why most Orthodox men have beards.

Payot are considered to have mystical importance too, forming a symbolic separation between the front part of the brain (which is said to govern abstract thought) from the back part (which is said to govern and control the body). This is very much part of the Jewish tradition of keeping separate the holy and everyday life.