Why do Jewish women cover their hair?

Women in the Jewish faith are expected to wear head scarves at all times. That's why religious Jewish women wear wigs. Humbleness motivates this behaviour. They cover up their hair with scarves, veils, hats, or wigs (Sheitel). After getting married, a woman is expected to wear a head covering in public. For privacy reasons, she needs to have her hair completely covered. Some women go even further and never remove their head coverings, not even in the privacy of their own bedrooms.

Among Orthodox Jews, gender roles are taken very seriously. At schools, synagogues, on the street, and in public transportation, there is a strict policy of segregating students by gender.

Wigs are a sign of matrimony for older Jewish women. Scarves are worn for the sole goal of keeping women safe. Women constantly cover up more than just their hair. These customs are meant to discourage other men from being attracted to a woman's body for sexual purposes.

The external changes of the 19th century, however, compelled many women to go out in public without their hair covered. There are also Jewish women who prefer to wear wigs instead of veils because it is more practical for their lifestyle. It's one of the reasons Jewish women often don't cover their heads with scarves, and instead opt for wigs. Today, synagogue attendance is the primary reason Jewish women choose to wear head coverings. They also avoid having their hair exposed because they wear wigs. Also, noticing a wig on someone is a challenge.

The Effects of Wearing a Sheitel

This head covering has a significant psychological impact on the wearer. It puts up an emotional wall, a mental space divider between her and total strangers. Her attractiveness is apparent but understated; she is tempting but unavailable.

Since most modern women do not choose to wear their hair covered in public, other Orthodox rabbis have argued that hair will be no longer considered erotic. From this, the Arukh HaShulhan derives that men are no longer forbidden from praying with in existence of a girl's hair, as well as Rav Moshe Feinstein governed that women may show a hand's breadth of hair.

Though they were criticised for their views, some Orthodox rabbis in the early 20th century defended women's freedom to choose whether or not to cover their hair, along with the Moroccan chief rabbi in 1960s, HaRav Mashash, and the less well-known American Modern Orthodox rabbi, Isaac Hurwitz. They write that the above references define a social norm of modest clothing rather than a legal requirement and then go on to show why this is the case.

"Now that all women agree that covering one's hair is not an issue of modesty and that going bare-headed isn't a manner of disrespect the opposite is also true. Exposed hair is indeed the woman's splendour, glory, beauty, as well as magnificence, also with exposed hair, she is proud before her husband, her lover," Rabbi Mashash wrote.

Wigs are effective because they allow women to conceal their baldness without sacrificing their overall appearance. She can be confident in her appearance without worrying about anyone discovering her true identity. It doesn't matter if her wig is so convincing that people think she has real hair; she is aware that they aren't seeing the real her. She has established a personal sphere over which she has complete control over who is permitted entry.

Maybe in other faiths, being humble and attractive are mutually exclusive. The Jewish faith disagrees with you. Modesty serves as a shield for and promoter of inner beauty, which is where true beauty resides.

Where This Practice Comes From

The Bible describes a ritual called the Sotah to determine whether or not a woman who has been accused of adultery is faithful. As part of the embarrassment that precedes the ceremony, the priest is required by the Torah to uncover or unbraid the accused woman's hair. The Talmud draws the conclusion that, barring exceptional circumstances, women are obligated by Scripture to wear head coverings.

However, it appears that the Mishnah in Ketuboth is implying that hair covering isn't even a biblical requirement. Divorce is discussed for breaking Jewish law (Dat Yehudit) as opposed to Mosaic law (Dat Moshe), including "appearing publicly with loose hair," "weaving in the marketplace," and "talking to any man." This classification implies that covering one's hair is not a divine command given to Moses at Sinai, but rather a culturally determined norm of modesty among Jews.

Wigs, scarves, and hats are the most common forms of head covering among modern women. The Yiddish word for their wig is "sheitel." It can be manufactured from synthetic materials or created from actual human hair. Wigs like these can set you back anywhere from $500 to $1500. Hasidic women typically own two or even more wigs, one for daily wear and one for more formal occasions. Some Orthodox women would then wear a scarf known as a "tichel." A hair tie will secure it over the top of the head. A hat can also be worn, though it is more common for it to be worn in addition to a wig or scarf in order to cover the woman's entire head of hair.

That anthropologist has mistaken a wig for natural hair and real modesty for his personal version of it. Modesty is not synonymous with unattractiveness in Judaism, but in his mind it is. Among Jews, modesty is not associated with a lack of sexual allure. Instead, modesty serves as an element of personal space. That's the effect a wig is meant to have.

A married woman's hair covering was never meant to be a source of shame. In the Jewish faith, men and women are expected to take pride in their appearance at all times. Although the Jewish faith does not condone hiding one's natural beauty, it does advocate keeping one's attractiveness under wraps until marriage.

Several stories in rabbinic writings attest to the fact that women of the Talmudic period commonly wore head coverings. Bava Kama tells the story of a woman who sues the man who forced her to remove her head covering in public. Since the man broke some sort of social norm, the judge seems to agree with the woman. In yet another Talmudic anecdote, a mother recounts how each of her seven sons attained the position of High Priest. In response to the question of how she deserved such sons, she said that she never let anyone in her house see her hair. Although the former case may relate a historical fact of practise that does not truly represent religious obligation, the latter is a story of extreme loyalty that transcends any law or communal consensus.

Jewish authorities enforced the practise of women covering their hair throughout the Middle Ages on the basis of the responsibility derived from the Sotah story. Among the 613 commandments, Maimonides omits covering one's hair. The communal standard of modesty in Arabic countries is the chador, and he rules that leaving the house without it is grounds for divorce. The Shulchan Aruch states that women, whether married or single, are required to wear head coverings in public. On the other hand, the Ashkenazic rulings stress that this duty only applies to married women. The Zohar adds more weight to the custom by explaining the spiritual significance of women covering their hair.

Do Hasidic women shave their heads?

Some female Hasidic sect members choose to cut their hair, whereas others don't. They are particularly strict with those who shave regularly. Since they have no hair, they're taking measures to ensure this will never be a problem. Not all religious Jewish women follow this practise. Numerous people do not. Those who choose not to shave do not see it as necessary to take such measures. For them, it's enough to carefully conceal their heads. Most women will continue to wear hair coverings at home, and perhaps even in the bedroom.

Shaving one's head is a common practise among Hasidic women because it is a symbol of purity and a great way to maintain their modesty in a culture where this is frowned upon. Some women claim to have no problem with this and that they can wear wigs or other hair systems without risking damage to their natural hair. Others feel offended by the tradition of reporting while they are exempt. Always keep in mind that not all Jewish women shave their heads, and that those who do wear wigs do so for religious reasons.

More about female Hasidic Jewish lifestyle

The traditional gender roles of men as breadwinners who leave the house every day to go to work are maintained. As the primary caregivers for their families, women typically do not work outside the home. The family sizes of Hasidic Jews are well known to be quite large. More than six children are common in typical families. Thus, the wife may find herself with ample employment opportunities. In most families, the older children (and especially the teenage girls) take care of their younger siblings. In addition, cooking can be a significant burden for Orthodox women, since there are two big feasts to prepare every Saturday ("Shabbos") and all food must be ready by Friday afternoon. As soon as Shabbos begins, all cooking must cease.

Women have taken the initiative to cover their hair for generations, even though only a small number of older rabbis had also reinterpreted the law. It was in the 1600s that French women first began to wear wigs to hide their hair, and this was the spark that set off the revolution. It was considered immodest for a woman to flaunt a gorgeous head of hair, whether it was a wig, in the eyes of many rabbis, and they also saw this trend as a reflection of the popular non-Jewish fashion of the time. However, the custom of wearing wigs spread and is now, perhaps ironically, widespread among the Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox populations. To avoid having their wigs mistaken for real hair, some women in these communities follow the tradition of also wearing a head covering.

Since the 20th century, many Orthodox women have stopped covering their heads in public, following the trend that began in the West. These women saw hair covering as a cultural practise, despite the rabbis' views to the contrary.

Many modern women who still wear head coverings do so for reasons other than the expected one of modesty. Some women, for instance, don't cover their hair at home because they believe doing so indicates they are single while others do so to signal their marital status. Some people, however, choose to cover their heads in only a minimal symbolic manner, revealing a large portion of their hair. Many communities also have a tradition of women having their hair covered only when they enter a synagogue.

An interesting trend has emerged in recent decades among Jewish women who, thanks to advances in women's education, are able to form their own opinions and have chosen to take a stricter stance towards hair covering than the more lenient norms of one‘s parents' communities. The lives of these women are chronicled in full in the book Hide and Seek, published in 2005.

Jewish women as well as their communities are shaping the meaning of modesty as a core Jewish value. In the same way that women in some communities have opted to downplay hair covering as a sign of modesty, women in other communities may choose to embrace it, thus constructing and reinforcing a much more traditional communal norm. Since modesty is open to various interpretations, the community to which one aspires to belong may play an important role in influencing their behaviour. In deciding whether or not to cover one's hair, one must balance factors of law, custom, individual preference, and group affiliation.

Conclusion

Observant Jews demand that women always cover their hair. Some women don't ever take off their scarves, veils, hats, or wigs, not even in bed (Sheitel). Effectiveness of wigs is attested to by the fact that they help women hide their baldness without negatively impacting their overall appearance. According to Rabbi Mashash, a woman's hair is her crowning glory, beauty, and magnificence. Modesty protects and enhances one's inner beauty, which is where one should focus their attention.

These days, most women who choose to cover their hair do so with wigs, scarves, or hats. For some anthropologists, modesty is a synonym for unattractiveness, but this is not how Jews view modesty. Jews of both sexes are obligated to always present themselves in the best possible light. Women of the Hasidic sect can choose whether or not to wear their hair short. Some women say they have no trouble dealing with this and that they can use wigs or other hair systems without any issues.

Some people are offended that they have to report while others do not. Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox women are traditionally responsible for all household tasks. They don't leave the house for work because of this. Some rabbis in the 1600s viewed women who did not cover their hair with wigs as being immodest. Many Orthodox women have abandoned the practise of publicly covering their hair since the turn of the twentieth century.

Many contemporary women who choose to cover their hair do so for aesthetic rather than modesty-related reasons. If you're debating whether or not to cover your hair, you should think about the laws in your area, cultural norms, your personal preferences, and the communities in which you participate.

Content Summary

• Women in the Jewish faith are expected to wear head scarves at all times.
• Though they were criticised for their views, some Orthodox rabbis in the early 20th century defended women's freedom to choose whether or not to cover their hair, along with the Moroccan chief rabbi in 1960s, HaRav Mashash, and the less well-known American Modern Orthodox rabbi, Isaac Hurwitz.
• The Jewish faith disagrees with you.
• The Shulchan Aruch states that women, whether married or single, are required to wear head coverings in public.
• Some female Hasidic sect members choose to cut their hair, whereas others don't.
• Shaving one's head is a common practise among Hasidic women because it is a symbol of purity and a great way to maintain their modesty in a culture where this is frowned upon.
• Always keep in mind that not all Jewish women shave their heads, and that those who do wear wigs do so for religious reasons.
• The traditional gender roles of men as breadwinners who leave the house every day to go to work are maintained.
• As the primary caregivers for their families, women typically do not work outside the home.
• However, the custom of wearing wigs spread and is now, perhaps ironically, widespread among the Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox populations.
• To avoid having their wigs mistaken for real hair, some women in these communities follow the tradition of also wearing a head covering.
• Since the 20th century, many Orthodox women have stopped covering their heads in public, following the trend that began in the West.
• An interesting trend has emerged in recent decades among Jewish women who, thanks to advances in women's education, are able to form their own opinions and have chosen to take a stricter stance towards hair covering than the more lenient norms of one's parents' communities.
• The lives of these women are chronicled in full in the book Hide and Seek, published in 2005.Jewish women as well as their communities are shaping the meaning of modesty as a core Jewish value.
• In the same way that women in some communities have opted to downplay hair covering as a sign of modesty, women in other communities may choose to embrace it, thus constructing and reinforcing a much more traditional communal norm.