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Head Covering in Jewish Law

HALACHIC BASIS

(יח) וְהֶעֱמִ֨יד הַכֹּהֵ֥ן אֶֽת־הָאִשָּׁה֮ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָה֒ וּפָרַע֙ אֶת־רֹ֣אשׁ הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וְנָתַ֣ן עַל־כַּפֶּ֗יהָ אֵ֚ת מִנְחַ֣ת הַזִּכָּר֔וֹן מִנְחַ֥ת קְנָאֹ֖ת הִ֑וא וּבְיַ֤ד הַכֹּהֵן֙ יִהְי֔וּ מֵ֥י הַמָּרִ֖ים הַמְאָֽרְרִֽים׃

(18) After he has made the woman*the woman Lit. “the (womanly) participant whose involvement defines the depicted situation,” namely the ritual proceeding. Labeling her as “woman” in this passage means that she is construed mainly as a party to the proceeding, rather than as her husband’s wife. See the Dictionary under ’ish. stand before יהוה, the priest shall bare the woman’s head*bare the woman’s head Or “dishevel the woman’s hair”; cf. Lev. 10.6. and place upon her hands the meal offering of remembrance, which is a meal offering of jealousy. And in the priest’s hands shall be the water of bitterness that induces the spell.*that induces the spell Meaning of Heb. ha-me’arerim uncertain.

וְאֵיזוֹהִי דָּת יְהוּדִית? יוֹצְאָה וְרֹאשָׁהּ פָּרוּעַ. רֹאשָׁהּ פָּרוּעַ דְּאוֹרָיְיתָא הִיא, דִּכְתִיב: ״וּפָרַע אֶת רֹאשׁ הָאִשָּׁה״, וְתָנָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל: אַזְהָרָה לִבְנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁלֹּא יֵצְאוּ בִּפְרוּעַ רֹאשׁ! דְּאוֹרָיְיתָא —
§ The mishna stated: And who is considered a woman who violates the precepts of Jewish women? One who goes out and her head is uncovered. The Gemara asks: The prohibition against a woman going out with her head uncovered is not merely a custom of Jewish women. Rather, it is by Torah law, as it is written with regard to a woman suspected by her husband of having been unfaithful: “And he shall uncover the head of the woman” (Numbers 5:18). And the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: From here there is a warning to Jewish women not to go out with an uncovered head, since if the Torah states that a woman suspected of adultery must have her head uncovered, this indicates that a married woman must generally cover her head. The Gemara explains: By Torah law,
אזהרה - מדעבדינן לה הכי לנוולה מדה כנגד מדה כמו שעשתה להתנאות על בועלה מכלל דאסור א"נ מדכתיב ופרע מכלל דההוא שעתא לאו פרועה הות שמע מינה אין דרך בנות ישראל לצאת פרועות ראש וכן עיקר:

Admonishment - Since we do this to her [the sota] to cause her disgrace – measure for measure as she did to beautify herself for her lover – we can infer that [an uncovered head] is prohibited. Alternatively, since it is written, “And he uncovers,” we can infer that at that point in time it was not uncovered. We learn from this that it is not the way of the daughters of Israel to go out with head uncovered, and this is the primary explanation.

ERVA (NAKEDNESS)

אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: שׁוֹק בָּאִשָּׁה עֶרְוָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״גַּלִּי שׁוֹק עִבְרִי נְהָרוֹת״, וּכְתִיב: ״תִּגָּל עֶרְוָתֵךְ וְגַם תֵּרָאֶה חֶרְפָּתֵךְ״. אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: קוֹל בָּאִשָּׁה — עֶרְוָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב וּמַרְאֵךְ נָאוֶה״. אָמַר רַב שֵׁשֶׁת: שֵׂעָר בָּאִשָּׁה עֶרְוָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שַׂעֲרֵךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָעִזִּים״.
Along these lines, Rav Ḥisda said: Even a woman’s exposed leg is considered nakedness, as it is stated: “Uncover the leg and pass through the rivers” (Isaiah 47:2), and it is written in the following verse: “Your nakedness shall be revealed and your shame shall be seen” (Isaiah 47:3). Shmuel further stated: A woman’s singing voice is considered nakedness, which he derives from the praise accorded a woman’s voice, as it is stated: “Sweet is your voice and your countenance is alluring” (Song of Songs 2:14). Similarly, Rav Sheshet stated: Even a woman’s hair is considered nakedness, for it too is praised, as it is written: “Your hair is like a flock of goats, trailing down from Mount Gilead” (Song of Songs 4:1).

DAT MOSHE V'YEHUDIT

(יב) וְאֵי זוֹ הִיא דָּת יְהוּדִית הוּא מִנְהַג הַצְּנִיעוּת שֶׁנָּהֲגוּ בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

(12) What is meant by "Dat Yehudit"? The customs of modesty that Jewish women practice.

(ו) וְאֵלּוּ יוֹצְאוֹת שֶׁלֹּא בִכְתֻבָּה, הָעוֹבֶרֶת עַל דַּת מֹשֶׁה וִיהוּדִית. וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא דַּת מֹשֶׁה, מַאֲכִילָתוֹ שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְעֻשָּׂר, וּמְשַׁמַּשְׁתּוֹ נִדָּה, וְלֹא קוֹצָה לָהּ חַלָּה, וְנוֹדֶרֶת וְאֵינָהּ מְקַיֶּמֶת. וְאֵיזוֹהִי דַת יְהוּדִית, יוֹצְאָה וְרֹאשָׁהּ פָּרוּעַ, וְטוֹוָה בַשּׁוּק, וּמְדַבֶּרֶת עִם כָּל אָדָם. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר, אַף הַמְקַלֶּלֶת יוֹלְדָיו בְּפָנָיו. רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן אוֹמֵר, אַף הַקּוֹלָנִית. וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא קוֹלָנִית, לִכְשֶׁהִיא מְדַבֶּרֶת בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתָהּ וּשְׁכֵנֶיהָ שׁוֹמְעִין קוֹלָהּ:

(6) And these are examples of women who may be divorced without payment of their marriage contract: A woman who violates the precepts of Moses (Dat Moshe), i.e., halakha, or the precepts of Jewish women (Dat Yehudit), i.e., custom. The Mishna explains: And who is categorized as a woman who violates the precepts of Moses? This includes cases such as when she feeds him food that has not been tithed, or she engages in sexual intercourse with him while she has the legal status of a menstruating woman, or she does not separate a portion of dough to be given to a priest [ḥalla], or she vows and does not fulfill her vows. And who is considered a woman who violates the precepts of Jewish women? One who, for example, goes out of her house, and her head, i.e., her hair, is uncovered; or she spins wool in the public marketplace; or she speaks with every man she encounters. Abba Shaul says: Also one who curses his, i.e., her husband’s, parents in his presence. Rabbi Tarfon says: Also a loud woman. And who is defined as a loud woman? When she speaks inside her house and her neighbors hear her voice.

REASONING: DIGNITY & HONOR

וּמוּתָּר בְּנָשִׁים וּבִקְטַנִּים, שֶׁאֵין נִקְרָאִין ״שְׁחוֹרֵי הָרֹאשׁ״ אֶלָּא אֲנָשִׁים. מַאי טַעְמָא — אֲנָשִׁים זִימְנִין דְּמִיכַּסּוּ רֵישַׁיְיהוּ וְזִימְנִין דְּמִגַּלּוּ רֵישַׁיְיהוּ. אֲבָל נָשִׁים לְעוֹלָם מִיכַּסּוּ, וּקְטַנִּים לְעוֹלָם מִיגַּלּוּ.
The mishna states: But he is permitted to derive benefit from women and from children, because only men are called: Those with dark heads. The Gemara explains: What is the reason for this? Men sometimes cover their heads and sometimes uncover their heads. They can be called dark heads since, for the most part, they have dark hair which is often uncovered. But women’s heads are always covered, and children’s heads are always uncovered, and the expression dark heads is referring to men whose hair is sometimes seen.

כשם שלא חסתה על כבוד המקום כך אין חסין על כבודה.

Just as she did not have mercy on the honor of God, so too we don’t have mercy on her honor.

REASONING: MODESTY

מי שאינו צנוע... בא קלון וחרפה אליו, כפי מדתו אשר נמשך אחריו שהוא רחוק מן הכבוד...

Whoever is not tzanu’a, disgrace and shame befalls him, in accordance with the attribute he is drawn to, for it [immodesty] is far from honor [kavod].

Rabbanit Oriya Mevorach, 'Why Do I Love my Head-Covering?'

Covering the head every day anew creates a healthy distinction for me between home and outside, between private and public, between mine and everyone’s. This is a distinction that in our day has utterly faded, in a culture that constantly tells us: “Belong to everyone; put it on display; show off your looks; seek approval and get a ‘like;’ even at home, take a selfie and distribute it all over.” There is a difference between a woman who thinks beauty is improper and therefore obscures her beauty, and one who loves beauty, but wants to channel a part of it to realms that are exclusively hers. By the way, I would not be able to find this meaning in head-covering if I experienced it – God forbid – as something that makes me ugly.

MEANING: MARITAL STATUS

כי אתא רב דימי אמר ר' אלעזר אמר ר' חנינא בן נח שייחד שפחה לעבדו ובא עליה נהרג עליה מאימת אמר רב נחמן מדקראו לה רביתא דפלניא מאימת התרתה אמר רב הונא משפרעה ראשה בשוק
When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that Rabbi Elazar says that Rabbi Ḥanina says: In the case of a descendant of Noah who designated a maidservant as a mate for his slave, and then he himself engaged in intercourse with her, he is executed for adultery on her account. The Gemara asks: From when is she considered the slave’s mate? Rav Naḥman says: From the time that she is called so-and-so’s girl. The Gemara asks: From when is she released from her relationship with the slave? Rav Huna says: From the time that she exposes her head in the marketplace. Since married women would cover their hair, even among the gentiles, by exposing her hair she proves that she no longer wishes to remain with him.

Ruth Ben-Ammi, 'Proud in the Golan Heights'

I have always associated marriage with hair covering…It’s just what makes sense to me. I always considered it a powerful notion that the only person who should see your hair is your husband…The moment people see my hat, they know I’m off-limits, and I think that’s wonderful. I feel protected…We belong to each other, it’s like a secret that anyone can see. Something covered is always a mystery.

Rabbanit Chana Henkin, 'Mo'adon Ovedot Hashem'

When a man and woman marry, the barriers of modesty between them fall. This is an expression of the bonding of the couple together as “they became one flesh.” From now on, the members of the couple will stand together on the same side of the barrier of modesty that separates them and other people. At the same time that Halacha sanctifies the physical connection between the couple, it creates a special barrier around the couple. The same halacha that allows the woman to reveal a handbreadth[to her husband], obligates her to cover a handbreadth [with regard to everyone else]. Halacha says to the woman: things that were forbidden are now permitted. But revealing the head in public – which was permitted – becomes forbidden. Thus a balance is created and holiness is preserved in this new and sensitive situation.

MEANING: AWE (YIR'AT SHAMAYIM)

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: אָסוּר לְאָדָם שֶׁיְּהַלֵּךְ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת בְּקוֹמָה זְקוּפָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מְלֹא כׇל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ״. רַב הוּנָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לָא מְסַגֵּי אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת בְּגִילּוּי הָרֹאשׁ. אָמַר: שְׁכִינָה לְמַעְלָה מֵרָאשֵׁי.
With regard to the same issue, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: It is prohibited for a person to walk even four cubits with an upright posture, which is considered an arrogant manner, as it is stated: “The entire world is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). One who walks in an arrogant manner indicates a lack of regard for the glory and honor of God that is surrounding him, and thereby chases God from that place, as it were. The Gemara relates: Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, would not walk four cubits with an uncovered head. He said: The Divine Presence is above my head, and I must act respectfully.

(ג) יש אומרים שאסור להוציא הזכרה מפיו בראש מגולה וי"א שיש למחות שלא ליכנס בב"ה בגלוי הראש:

(3) There are those who say that it is forbidden to mention [God's name] with an uncovered head. And there are those who say that one should object that people should not enter the synagogue with an uncovered head.

MEANING: IDENTIFICATION

Susan Rubin Weintrob, 'Why I Wear a Hat,' Hide & Seek, 94-95

When I attend Jewish community functions, people know that my hat means I am religious. Just as my hat tells them something about me, their reaction to my hat tells me something about them…I don’t wear a hat to stand out or to be different—I wear a hat to link myself to the many generations of women before me.

Rabbanit Oriya Mevorach, 'Why Do I Love my Head-Covering?'

I’m aware that my full head-covering labels me as a frum woman, even though my attitudes might surprise people who have stereotypes about religious people…I am happy for people to see me first of all as a frum woman and only afterwards to get to know me deeply and be as surprised as they wish. Declaring that “the internal is what’s essential, down with stereotypes” is only meaningful in one direction: it is cogent when said by someone who takes on external signifiers that society stereotypes, and it is not cogent when said by someone who removes external signifiers in order to evade stereotyping…

PARTIAL HAIR-COVERING

הנה עצם האיסור נאמר בכתובות דף ע”ב תנא דב”ר ישמעאל מקרא דופרע את ראש האשה אזהרה לבנות ישראל שלא יצאו בפרוע ראש, ולא נאמר אזהרה שלא יצאו בשערותיהן מגולות, משמע שתלוי בחשיבות פריעה על הראש בכולל…וגם הא פשוט שאין למילף מהקרא איסור אלא מה שצריך הכהן לפרוע בראש הסוטה…שהרי יש גם לומר דבפחות אינו ניוול כלל…ואף אם נימא שלא בעינן כולו מ”מ חלק גדול מהראש צריך ודאי שיהיה פרוע…דהוא רוב הראש או לכה”פ קרוב לרוב הראש…

The fundamental prohibition was said in Ketubot 72b, as was taught in the beit midrash of Rabbi Yishmael from the verse “and he uncovered the head of the woman” –”an admonition to the daughters of Israel that they not go out with head uncovered [emphasis added]” and it is not said, “an admonition that they not go out with hair uncovered ” This implies that [the prohibition of going uncovered] depends on what is considered uncovering the head overall…It is also clear that one should only derive from the verse a prohibition [of uncovering] what the kohen needed to uncover of the head of the sota…for one could also say that [uncovering] less than that would not be a disgrace [to the sota] at all…Even if we say that we don’t need all of it [the head uncovered as part of the sota ordeal, and covered beforehand], in any case at least a large part of the head needed to be uncovered [during the ordeal, and covered beforehand]…This is the majority of the head or, at the very least, close to a majority of the head.

דאורייתא קלתה שפיר דמי דת יהודית אפילו קלתה נמי

On a Torah level, a kalata [basket or simple cap] suffices; for dat Yehudit, even [covering with] a kalata remains prohibited [as inadequately covered]

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: שִׁבְעָה בָּנִים הָיוּ לָהּ לְקִמְחִית, וְכוּלָּן שִׁמְּשׁוּ בִּכְהוּנָּה גְּדוֹלָה. אָמְרוּ לָהּ חֲכָמִים: מָה עָשִׂית שֶׁזָּכִית לְכָךְ? אָמְרָה לָהֶם: מִיָּמַי לֹא רָאוּ קוֹרוֹת בֵּיתִי קַלְעֵי שְׂעָרִי. אָמְרוּ לָהּ: הַרְבֵּה עָשׂוּ כֵּן וְלֹא הוֹעִילוּ.

Our rabbis taught: Kimchit had seven sons, and all of them served as Kohen Gadol [each would substitute for his brothers at times when ritual impurity disqualified them from Temple service (Tosefta Yoma 3:20)]. The sages said to her, ‘What did you do that you merited thus?’ She said to them, ‘In all my days, the beams of my house never saw the braids of my hair.’ They said to her, ‘Many have done so, and did not achieve an effect.’

שו”ת מהר”ם אלשקר סימן לה
וההיא דשער באשה ערוה לא מיירי אלא בשער שדרך האשה לכסותו…בפרק חזקת הבתים דאמרינן התם עושה אשה כל תכשיטיה ומשיירת דבר מועט. מאי היא? רב אמר בת צדעא …וזה המנהג בעצמו הוא מנהג הנשים היום שהאשה קולעת כל שערה ומשיירת שער הצדעים יורד על פניה והוא הנקרא בלשון חכמים בת צידעא כמו שנתבאר … הקילו רבותינו ז”ל כדי שלא תתגנה האשה על בעלה.

Responsa Maharam Alashkar 35

This statement that “the hair of a woman is erva” only deals with hair that a woman’s practice is to cover…In the [Talmud] chapter Chezkat Ha-batim, we say, “a woman does all her adornments and leaves out a little bit.” What is it [that she leaves out]? Rav says ‘bat tzida’” …This is the very custom of women today, that the woman binds all her hair and leaves out hair at the temples going down beside her face and this is called in the language of our sages ‘bat tzida, as was explained…Our sages were lenient in many matters, so that a woman would not become unappealing to her husband.

מכתב מאת הגרע”י אוצר דינים סימן לז:טו הערה טו, מובא ב”את צנועים חכמה עט.
ומה שאומרים שאפילו שערה אחת משערות ראשה הנראית יש בזה איסור תורה, אינו נכון, כי מנהג הנשים הספרדיות לגלות אצבע או שתים משערות הראש כלפי פנים, ומהר”ם אלשקר שהיה גאון עולם בזמן הבית יוסף פסק להתיר.

Letter, Rav Ovadya Yosef, Otzar Dinim 37:15, note 15 (cited Et Tzenu'im Chochma 79a)
That which some say, that even one hair from the hair of her head that is visible entails a Torah level prohibition, is incorrect, for the custom of Sefardi women is to show a fingerbreadth or two from the hair of the head in the front, and Maharam Alashkar, who was a world-class scholar in the time of Beit Yosef, ruled to permit it.

RAV MOSHE'S RULING

שו”ת אגרות משה אבן העזר חלק א: נח
… וכיון שכל הראש הוא מקום המכוסה, יש לאסור ממילא מדין ערוה כמו מקומות המכוסות שבגופה. …ולכן כיון שבדין מקומות המכוסים יש חלוק בין טפח לפחות… גם בשערות יש חלוק זה…. ולכן אין לאסור כשרוצה לגלות…אבל הוא רק ערך ב’ אצבעות בגובה שהפנים הוא ערך אורך ב’ טפחים ויהיה בצרוף פחות מטפח ויותר אסורה.

Responsa Iggerot Moshe EH I:58
Since the entire head is [defined as] a typically-covered area [which can give it erva status], one should prohibit [a man’s seeing it during Shema etc.] due to erva like [other] typically-covered body parts…Therefore, since in the law of typically-covered areas there is a distinction between a tefach and less…this distinction also applies to hair…Therefore one should not prohibit if she wants to reveal [hair]…but only two [etzba’ot] fingerbreadths in height, since the face is about two tefachim wide so that altogether it will be less than a [square] tefach. More than that is prohibited.

שו”ת אגרות משה אבן העזר א: נח
ולכן לדינא אף שמן הראוי שיחמירו הנשים לכסות כדסובר החת”ס [=החתם סופר] הואיל ויצא מפומיה דגאון גדול כמותו … פשוט שאלו הרוצות להקל … אין להחשיבן לעוברות על דת יהודית ח”ו [=חס וחלילה], ואין להמנע אפילו לת”ח ויר”ש [=לתלמיד חכם וירא שמים] מלישא אשה כזו אם היא יראת שמים ומדקדקת במצות ובעלת מדות...

Responsa Iggerot Moshe EH I:58
Therefore according to halacha, even though it is proper for women to be stringent and cover [fully]…It is clear that those who wish to be lenient… should not be considered in violation of dat Yehudit God forbid, and even a talmid chacham and fearer of Heaven should not refrain from marrying such a woman if she fears Heaven and is careful about mitzvot and is of good character...

WIGS

(ה) יוֹצְאָה אִשָּׁה בְחוּטֵי שֵׂעָר, בֵּין מִשֶּׁלָּהּ בֵּין מִשֶּׁל חֲבֶרְתָּהּ בֵּין מִשֶּׁל בְּהֵמָה.

(5) The mishna continues to discuss those items with which it is permitted to go out and those items with which it is prohibited to go out on Shabbat. A woman may go out with strands of hair that she put on her head, whether they are from her own hair that she made into a wig, or whether they are from the hair of another, or whether they are from the hair of an animal.

שו”ת יביע אומר חלק ה – אבן העזר סימן ה
שבדורות הראשונים הפאות הנכריות היו ניכרות מאד לעין, ולא היה בהן חשש למראית העין שידמו לשערות טבעיות, ואילו הפאות הנכריות שנתחדשו בזה”ז [=בזמן הזה], לא רק שהן דומות לשערות הטבעיות, אלא גם עולות עליהן ביפין ובטיבן ובמראיתן, עד שאף הפרוצות משתמשות בהן לנוי וליופי, ומכיון שאין שום היכר בין פאות אלו לשערות הטבעיות, הא ודאי שיש לחשוש בהן משום מראית העין,…. והעיקר כדברי רוב ככל האחרונים הנ”ל [=הנזכרים למעלה] לאסור בזה, ומצוה רבה לפרסם האיסור ברבים, ובפרט לספרדיות שנהגו לאסור מימות עולם …

Responsa Yabi'a Omer EH 5:5
For in past generations, the wigs were very visibly recognizable, and there was no concern of mar’it ayin [appearing to violate a prohibition], since they resemble natural hair. But the new wigs today, not only do they resemble natural hair, but they even exceed it in beauty and form and appearance, until even immodest women use them for adornment and beautification. And since there is no recognizable difference between these wigs and natural hair, certainly there is a concern of mar’it ayin …And the basic halacha is like the words of most if not all the later halachic authorities cited above to prohibit this, and it is a great mitzva to publicize the prohibition in public, especially for Sefardi women who have always been accustomed to prohibit…

Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Likutei Sichot 13, p 189

A woman who wears a scarf on her head will tend to take it off in certain cases because of discomfort. As opposed to a woman who dons a wig, even if President Eisenhower himself walks in, she will not remove it.

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