Dear Holy Rabbi, What is the reason for not cutting the hairs around your ears?

For women it's no problem, but for men, the Torah commands a specified area on the temples where it's forbidden to shave (close to the skin, Vayikra 19, 27). As all Torah prohibitions (as opposed to rabbinic prohibitions), we don't know the Godly reason why He commanded it, but can only suggest its benefits. Rav Kook suggests that as many nations have a special "look" and are proud of that social and unifying factor, how much more so Jews, as God's Chosen People, should be proud of our national identity and "look" Jewish.