{{short description|Wig or half-wig worn by some married Orthodox Jewish women}} [[File:Women praying in the Western Wall tunnels by David Shankbone.jpg|300px|thumb|Three styles of hair covering common among married Orthodox Jewish women. From left to right: snood, fall, and hat]]
According to halacha (Jewish religious law), married Orthodox Jewish women are expected to cover their hair when in the presence of men other than their husband or close family members. Such covering is common practice among Orthodox Jewish women. This is called '''kisui rosh''' ({{langx|he|{{wikt-lang|yi|כיסוי}} {{wikt-lang|yi|ראש}}}}). Most Jews and Israelis are not Orthodox and do not cover their hair. There is no mandate to cover one's hair in Israel.
Different kinds of hair coverings are used, among them the '''mitpachat''' ({{langx|he|{{wikt-lang|he|מטפחת}}}}) or '''tichel''' ({{langx|yi|{{wikt-lang|yi|טיכל}}}}, headscarf), '''shpitzel''', snood, hat, beret, fall, bonnet, veil, headscarf, bandana, and '''sheitel''' ({{langx|yi|{{wikt-lang|yi|שייטל}}}}, wig). The most common head coverings in the Haredi community are headscarves in the form of the tichel and snood, though some wear hats, berets, or sheitels; the tichel and snood remain the historic and universally accepted rabbinical standard for observant Jewish women.<ref name="Aronson">{{cite book |last1=Cahn-Lipman |first1=David E. |title=The Book of Jewish Knowledge: 613 Basic Facts about Judaism |date=1991 |publisher=Jason Aronson |isbn=978-0-87668-575-4 |page=146 |quote=In the late eighteenth century, women began covering their heads with a wig (a sheitel). Ironically, many rabbis opposed this innovation because they saw it as being indecent.}}</ref> The headscarves can be tied in a number of ways, depending on how casually the wearer is dressed.
Covering the hair is part of the modesty-related dress standard called {{transliteration|he|tzniut}}. The hair is considered a body part that should only be seen by one's husband.
==Laws== According to Jewish religious law (''halacha''), a woman must cover her hair after marriage.<ref>Shulchan Aruch, Even Ha'ezer 115, 4; Orach Chayim 75,2; Even Ha'ezer 21, 2</ref><ref>Schiller, Mayer. [http://www.jofa.org/pdf/Batch%201/0101.pdf "The Obligation of Married Women to Cover Their Hair"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080407062723/http://www.jofa.org/pdf/Batch%201/0101.pdf |date=2008-04-07 }}. ''JHCS'' 30, 1995, 81–108.</ref> The requirement applies in the presence of any men other than her husband, son, father, grandson, grandfather, or brother.<ref name=nishmat>[https://www.yoatzot.org/questions-and-answers/1384/ Hair covering at home] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224135444/https://www.yoatzot.org/questions-and-answers/1384/ |date=2021-12-24 }}</ref> The obligation to cover hair applies in public areas, though a minority opinion allows uncovering hair within one's home even in the presence of unrelated men.<ref name=der5>[https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-5-where/ Deracheha: Women and Head-Covering V: Where] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224135442/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-5-where/ |date=2021-12-24 }}</ref>
The consensus is that all or most of the hair must be covered.<ref name=der4>[https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-4-how/ Deracheha: Women and Head-Covering IV: How] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224133458/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-4-how/ |date=2021-12-24 }}</ref> Some sources rule that every single hair must be covered,<ref>Magen Avraham 75:4; Chatam Sofer I:36</ref> but many others permit a small amount of hair (each source defines the amount differently) to emerge from the head-covering.<ref>Rema, Orach Chaim 75:2; Igrot Moshe, Even Haezer 1:58; R' Ovadiah Yosef (quoted in ''Et Tzenu'im Chochma'' 79a)</ref><ref name=der4/>
Various reasons have been suggested for this head-covering, among them: * Historically, head-covering was considered a form of dignity for a woman, and to have one's head-covering removed was a source of humiliation.<ref name=der2>[https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-2-rationale-and-meaning/ Deracheha: Women and Head-Covering II: Rationale and Meaning]</ref> * Married women are expected to behave with a higher level of sexual modesty than single women, due to the commitment they have made to their husbands, and covering their potentially alluring hair is one aspect of this.<ref name=der2/> * Head covering is a sign of a woman's married status, which (among other things) could indicate to men that she is unavailable to them.<ref name=der2/> * Head-covering indicates awe when standing before God, similar to the kippah for men.<ref name=der2/> * Nowadays, head-covering also serves a sign of identification with the religious Jewish community.<ref name=der2/>
===Sources=== [[File:Jakob und Rahel.jpg|thumb|left|Rahel (right) with her head covered by a scarf]]
Numbers 5:18<ref>{{Bibleverse|Numbers|5:18|HE}}</ref> requires, as part of the sotah ritual, that a married woman's head be made {{transliteration|hbo|parua}} (a word which has been understood to mean 'uncovered' or 'with loose hair'),<ref>[https://daf-yomi.com/DYItemDetails.aspx?itemId=8301 'וראשה פרוע'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224115610/https://daf-yomi.com/DYItemDetails.aspx?itemId=8301 |date=2021-12-24 }}</ref> suggesting that, normally, her hair is not {{transliteration|hbo|parua}}. According to the Talmud, this indicates that the Torah prohibits married women in general from appearing {{transliteration|hbo|parua}} in public.<ref name=k72>Ketubot 72a-72b</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Halichot Bat Yisrael |author=Yakov Yitzchak Fuks |year=1989 |location=Jerusalem |language=he}}</ref>
The Mishnah, however, implies that hair covering is not an obligation of biblical origin. It discusses behaviors that are grounds for divorce, such as, "appearing in public with a {{transliteration|hbo|parua}} head, weaving in the marketplace, and talking to any man", and calls these violations of {{transliteration|hbo|Dat Yehudit}}{{Efn|Mishnaic manuscripts read {{lang|hbo|דת יהודים}}, 'Law of the Jews', but printings, following most Bavli manuscripts, read {{lang|hbo|דת יהודית}}, 'Jewish Law'. Cf. {{lang|hbo|דת ישראל}} in t. Ketubot 7:6.}} ('Jewish law') as opposed to {{transliteration|hbo|Dat Moshe}} ('Mosaic law').<ref>Mishnah, Ketuboth 7:6</ref> The Talmud reconciles the sources by saying that if her head is completely uncovered in public, this would be a violation of {{transliteration|hbo|Dat Moshe}}, whereas a woman who appears in public wearing a {{transliteration|hbo|kalta}} (a minimal covering of part of the hair, perhaps a basket resting on the head)<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org.il/Jastrow%2C_%D7%A7%D6%B7%D7%9C%D6%B8%D6%BC%D7%AA.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Jastrow dictionary, קַלָּת]</ref> has satisfied {{transliteration|hbo|Dat Moshe}} but is still violating {{transliteration|hbo|Dat Yehudit}}.<ref name="k72" />
Another relevant Talmudic source is Berakhot 24a, where the rabbis define hair as sexually erotic ({{transliteration|hbo|ervah}}), and prohibit men from praying in sight of a married woman's hair. The rabbis base this judgement on a biblical verse: "Your hair is like a flock of goats" (Song of Songs 4:1),<ref>{{Bibleverse|Song of Songs|4:1|HE}}</ref> suggesting that this praise reflects the sensual nature of hair.<ref>Brachot 24a</ref> However, "with a few exceptions, there is halachic consensus that the obligation of women's head-covering derives chiefly from the sota and, secondarily, from dat Yehudit", rather than from {{transliteration|hbo|ervah}},<ref name=der1>[https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-1-halachic-basis/ Women and Head-Covering I: Halachic Basis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223204612/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-1-halachic-basis/ |date=2021-12-23 }}</ref> and a number of leading poskim ruled that while head-covering is required, in societies where this law is widely ignored, the uncovered hair ceases to be considered {{transliteration|hbo|ervah}} for the purpose of prayer.<ref>R' Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe, Orach Chaim 1:42; Aruch HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 75:7, etc.</ref>
The Zohar, a commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures and the primary source of the beliefs of Kabbalah, also describes the mystical importance of women making sure to not expose their hair. The parashat Naso 125b–126b<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hair Covering in Jewish Law {{!}} Sefaria |url=https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/93698.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=www.sefaria.org |archive-date=2022-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421171625/https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/93698.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |url-status=live }}</ref> suggests that a woman who strictly obeys head covering traditions will reap many blessings for her husband and children.
===Unmarried women=== The medieval codes do not mention any exemption for unmarried women.<ref>e.g. Mishneh Torah, ''Issurei Biah'' 21:16, SeMaG, ''lo Taaseh'' 126, Orchot Chaim, ''Ketubot'' 34, Tur, ''Even haEzer'' 21, Shulchan Arukh, ''Even haEzer'' 21:2.</ref> According to the Mishna, if a woman went to her wedding with hair uncovered, this serves as proof that she was a maiden, a virgin (i. e., never before married) at the time.<ref>Mishnah Ketubot 2:1</ref> This seems to indicate that never-married women did not cover their hair, but divorced and widowed women did continue to cover their hair. This is also the position taken by the Jerusalem Talmud<ref>Jerusalem Talmud, Ketubot 2:1</ref> and is generally the accepted ruling today.<ref name=der3>[https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-3-who/ Deracheha: Women and Head-Covering III: Who] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224130300/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-3-who/ |date=2021-12-24 }}</ref> However, R' Moshe Feinstein permitted divorced and widowed women to uncover their hair in cases of great need, for example, when a head covering might interfere with dating or obtaining a job.<ref>Igrot Moshe, Even Haezer 1:57 and 4:32:4</ref> Exact rulings in such cases vary depending on the community and the individual's situation.<ref name=der3/>
In Yemen, unmarried girls covered their hair like their Muslim peers;<ref>[http://www.imj.org.il/exhibitions/2014/dresscodes/en/home/ "Dress Codes: Revealing the Jewish Wardrobe"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703023811/http://www.imj.org.il/exhibitions/2014/dresscodes/en/home/ |date=3 July 2014 }}, An exhibition focusing on this collection was presented at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem 11 March 2014 – 18 October 2014</ref> however, upon Yemeni Jews' emigration to Israel and other places, this custom has been abandoned. Aharon Roth praised this custom.<ref>Sefer Shomer Emunim, Rav Aharon Roth zt"l</ref> Magen Avraham ruled that while unmarried women need not cover their hair, they must braid it so that it is not disheveled.<ref>Magen Avraham, 75:3</ref> This ruling is practiced in some Hasidic communities nowadays.<ref name=der3/>
When a woman gets married, opinions differ regarding when exactly she must begin covering her head: after betrothal (rare today), after the ''chuppah'' ceremony, after ''yichud'', or only after the couple has spent a night together.<ref name=der3/> Even according to the more stringent opinions, the bridal veil (which partly covers the hair) may be considered sufficient cover for the remainder of the ceremony.<ref name=der3/>
===Non-Orthodox Judaism=== Conservative and Reform Judaism do not generally require women to wear head coverings. Some more traditional Conservative synagogues may ask that married women cover their heads during services. However, some more liberal Conservative synagogues suggest that women, married or not, wear head-coverings similar to those worn by men (the kippah/yarmulke); and some require it (or require it only for women receiving honors or leading services from the ''bimah'') – not for modesty, but as a feminist gesture of egalitarianism.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaplan Sommer |first1=Alison |title=Should a Jewish Woman Cover Her Head ... With a Yarmulke? |url=https://www.haaretz.com/2013-12-15/ty-article/jewish-women-wearing-yarmulkes/0000017f-e788-dea7-adff-f7fb8d7a0000 |access-date=19 September 2022 |agency=Haaretz |publisher=Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. |date=Dec 15, 2013 |archive-date=2022-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920172914/https://www.haaretz.com/2013-12-15/ty-article/jewish-women-wearing-yarmulkes/0000017f-e788-dea7-adff-f7fb8d7a0000 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In the 21st century, some non-Orthodox Jewish women began covering their heads or hair with scarves, kippot, or headbands.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bernstein |first1=Alyx |title=Headband Nation |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/headband-nation |website=Tablet |date=3 February 2020 |access-date=19 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920174410/https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/headband-nation |url-status=live }}</ref> Reasons given for doing so included as an act of spiritual devotion,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kent |first1=Aiden |title=We Need More Jewish Modest Style Influencers |url=https://www.heyalma.com/we-need-more-jewish-modest-style-influencers/ |website=Alma |date=29 August 2022 |publisher=70/Faces Media |access-date=19 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920172709/https://www.heyalma.com/we-need-more-jewish-modest-style-influencers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as expression of ethnic identity, as an act of resistance to a culture that normalizes the exposure of the body,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pockrass |first1=Ally |title=Why These Secular Jewish Women Are Covering Their Hair |url=https://www.heyalma.com/secular-jewish-women-covering-hair/ |website=Alma |date=8 March 2018 |publisher=70/Faces Media |access-date=19 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920173120/https://www.heyalma.com/secular-jewish-women-covering-hair/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or as a feminist reclamation of modest dress, a practice sometimes seen as non- or anti-feminist.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jacobi |first1=Zo |title=A Short History of Tichels and the Modern Resurgence |url=https://www.jewitches.com/post/a-short-history-of-tichels-and-the-modern-resurgence |website=Jewitches |date=24 June 2021 |access-date=19 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920175643/https://www.jewitches.com/post/a-short-history-of-tichels-and-the-modern-resurgence |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Scarves== ===Mitpachat=== thumb|Knotted tichel '''Mitpachat''' ({{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|מִטְפַּחַת}}|miṭpaḥat}}), also called a '''tichel''' ({{langx|yi|{{Script/Hebrew|טיכל}}|tikhl}}), is the headscarf worn covering the hair.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2cCZBDm8F8C&dq=tichel+meaning&pg=PA519 Encyclopedia of Judaism: Tichel]</ref> Mitpaḥot can range from a plain scarf of any material worn over the hair to elaborate head coverings using multiple fabrics and tying techniques.
According to Ibn Ezra, already in Biblical times, Israelite women wore a form of cloth head covering similar to that worn by Muslim women in his own time (12th century).<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org.il/Ibn_Ezra_on_Exodus.38.8.2?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=he Ibn Ezra to Exodus 38:8]</ref>
A padded cap called a shaper, volumizer, or bobo, is sometimes worn under a scarf to create a more desirable shape.
====Etymology==== The word {{translit|he|mitpaḥat}} is a Hebrew word which literally means a covering or mantle, though is also used to mean many other things such as towel, apron, bandage, or wrap. Its current meaning is taken from post-biblical Hebrew, and is most likely derived from the Hebrew word טִפַּח (tipaḥ), meaning spread out or extended.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Klein|first=Ernest|title=A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary Of The Hebrew Language|publisher=Carta Jerusalem|year=1987|isbn=965220093X|location=Jerusalem}}</ref>
The Yiddish word ''tichel'' is the diminutive of ''tuch'' ("cloth"). Compare German ''Tuch'' ("cloth"), and the corresponding Bavarian diminutive ''Tiachal, Tücherl'' ("small piece of cloth").
===Shal=== [[File:A female member of the Haredi burqa sect in Mea Shearim.jpg|thumb|250px|Woman of the Neshot haShalim in Mea Shearim, a Jewish neighbourhood in the Old City of Jerusalem, 2012]] The '''shal''' ({{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|שָאל}}|shāl|lit=shawl}})—also called a {{Transliteration|yi|frumka}}, a portmanteau of the Yiddish-language word {{Transliteration|yi|frum}} and the Arabic-language word {{Transliteration|ar|burqa}}—is a garment which fully covers the body and face. It has been associated with Israeli fundamentalist groups such as the Neshot haShalim and Lev Tahor, making it highly controversial.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/7919501/Israeli-rabbis-clamp-down-on-burka.html |title=Israeli rabbis clamp down on burka |last=Blomfield |first=Adrian |date=July 30, 2010 |website=The Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118131819/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/7919501/Israeli-rabbis-clamp-down-on-burka.html |archive-date=November 18, 2018 |access-date=June 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/lev-tahor-pure-as-the-driven-snow-or-hearts-of-darkness-1.417553 |title=Lev Tahor: Pure as the Driven Snow, or Hearts of Darkness? |last=Fogelman |first=Shay |date=March 9, 2012 |website=Haaretz |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517094916/http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/lev-tahor-pure-as-the-driven-snow-or-hearts-of-darkness-1.417553 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |access-date=June 11, 2024}}</ref> Proponents of the shal have been pejoratively referred to as “Taliban mothers”<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forward.com/articles/137102 |title=France's Ban, and Israel's Burka Problem |last=Shaviv |first=Miriam |date=April 18, 2011 |website=The Forward |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018194132/http://www.forward.com/articles/137102/ |archive-date=October 18, 2011 |access-date=June 11, 2024}}</ref> or the “Taliban sect”<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/court-to-rule-on-legality-of-israeli-ultra-orthodox-taliban-sect-1.388187 |title=Court to rule on legality of Israeli ultra-Orthodox 'Taliban sect' |last=Rosenberg |first=Oz |date=October 5, 2011 |website=Haaretz |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007165405/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/court-to-rule-on-legality-of-israeli-ultra-orthodox-taliban-sect-1.388187 |archive-date=October 7, 2011 |access-date=June 11, 2024}}</ref> whose practices are an innovation that has “no basis whatsoever in halachah.”<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thejc.com/lets-talk/should-israel-ban-the-burka-u95cqdtg |title=Should Israel Ban the Burka? |last=Shaviv |first=Miriam |date=January 25, 2011 |website=The Jewish Chronicle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100801031927/http://thejc.com/blogpost/should-israel-ban-burka |archive-date=August 1, 2010 |access-date=June 11, 2024}}</ref>
However, face veils have been worn historically by Jewish women. Marc B. Shapiro has written that there are some traditional sources which describe and praise the custom of modest Jewish women covering their faces,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://seforimblog.com/2012/06/taliban-women-and-more/ |title=Taliban Women and More |last=Shapiro |first=Marc B. |date=June 11, 2012 |website=The Seforim Blog |publisher=WordPress |access-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604054917/https://seforimblog.com/2012/06/taliban-women-and-more/ |url-status=live }}</ref> including the Babylonian Talmud,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sotah.10b.3?lang=bi |title=Sotah 10b:3 |website=Sefaria}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.80a.7?lang=bi |title=Shabbat 80a:7 |website=Sefaria}}</ref> Jerusalem Talmud,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Shabbat.8.3.5?lang=bi |title=Shabbat 8:3:5 |website=Sefaria}}</ref> Mishnah,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Shabbat.6.6?lang=bi |title=Shabbat 6:6 |website=Sefaria |access-date=2024-06-04 |archive-date=2024-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604054918/https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Shabbat.6.6?lang=bi |url-status=live }}</ref> and Mishneh Torah.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah%2C_Marriage.13.11?lang=bi |title=Marriage 13:11 |website=Sefaria |access-date=2024-06-04 |archive-date=2024-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604054917/https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Marriage.13.11?lang=bi |url-status=live }}</ref> Jewish women in the Islamic world maintained this type of traditional clothing “until even the mid-20th century,” since “Jews dressed in the style of the surrounding society”<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jta.org/2017/09/28/united-states/when-jews-wore-burkas-an-exhibit-showcases-unexpected-jewish-fashion |title=When Jews wore burkas: An exhibit showcases unexpected Jewish fashion |last=Tobin |first=Andrew |date=September 28, 2017 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |access-date=June 11, 2024 |archive-date=June 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611122224/https://www.jta.org/2017/09/28/united-states/when-jews-wore-burkas-an-exhibit-showcases-unexpected-jewish-fashion |url-status=live }}</ref> and therefore continued to wear garments typically regarded as “Islamic dress,” such as the chador, niqab, and burqa.<ref>{{cite object |title=Jewish woman’s wrap (''izar'') and face veil (''khiliyye'') |medium=Silk, gilt metal thread; veil: horsehair |museum=Israel Museum |location=Jerusalem |url=https://www.imj.org.il/en/collections/649704-0 |access-date=June 11, 2024}}</ref>
==Wigs== ===Sheitel=== [[File:Judge Rachel Freier - Photo Jordan Rathkopf.jpg|thumb|alt=A woman with dark brown shoulder-length hair|Judge Rachel Freier, a married Hasidic woman, wearing a sheitel]] '''Sheitel''' ({{langx|yi|{{Script/Hebrew|שייטל}}|sheytl}} {{gcl|SG}}; {{langx|yi|{{Script/Hebrew|שייטלעך}}|sheytlekh|label=none}} or {{langx|yi|{{Script/Hebrew|שייטלען}}|sheytlen|label=none}} {{gcl|PL}}) is a wig or half-wig. The related term in Hebrew is {{transliteration|he|pei'ah}} ({{lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|פאה}}}}) or ''pei'ah nochrit'' ({{lang|he|{{Script/Hebrew|פאה נוכרית}}}}).<ref name="Sherman"/> The Sheitel started to be used by some Jewish women as a headcovering in the 18th century, though its use has been opposed by traditional rabbis.<ref name="Aronson"/>
Traditional sheitels are secured by elastic caps, and are often designed with heavy bangs to obscure the hairline of their wearers. More modern lace-front wigs with realistic hairlines or real hair are growing in popularity.<ref name="Sherman">{{cite web |url=http://canopycanopycanopy.com/10/she_goes_covered |title=She goes covered |first=Julia |last=Sherman |date=November 17, 2010 |access-date=January 16, 2011 |archive-date=November 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120012100/http://canopycanopycanopy.com/10/she_goes_covered |url-status=live }}</ref>
Some modern Orthodox women cover their hair with wigs. A style of half wig known as a "fall" has become increasingly common in some segments of Modern and Haredi Orthodox communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orthodox Jewish Women Wigs and Hair Replacement Systems {{!}} William Collier Design |url=https://williamcollierdesign.com/blog/orthodox-jewish-women-wigs |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=williamcollierdesign.com |archive-date=2024-04-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425171346/https://williamcollierdesign.com/blog/orthodox-jewish-women-wigs |url-status=live }}</ref> It is worn with either a hat or a headband.
===Shpitzel=== thumb|A Jewish woman wearing a sheitel with a shpitzel or snood on top of it A '''shpitzel''' ({{langx|yi|שפּיצל}}) is a head covering worn by some married Hasidic women. It is a partial wig that only has hair in the front, the rest typically covered by a small pillbox hat or a headscarf.<ref name="Winston2006">{{cite book|author=Hella Winston|title=Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ccw00O6B7EIC&pg=PA180|access-date=13 January 2013|date=15 November 2006|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=978-0-8070-3627-3|pages=21, 181}}</ref> The hairpiece may actually be silk or lace, or else made of synthetic fibers, to avoid too closely resembling real hair.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elbinger |first1=Naomi |title=The Tichel: A Short History of Headcovering Fashion |url=http://mavenmall.com/tichel/ |website=MavenMall Blog |access-date=8 March 2013 |date=18 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308104252/http://mavenmall.com/tichel/ |archive-date=2013-03-08 }}</ref> The shpitzel was popular among Hungarian Hasidim in the 19th century, and it is worn by some contemporary women who follow the customs of that community.
====Etymology==== The Yiddish word "Shpitzel" is related to the grammatical diminutive of the high-German word "Spitze" which can either mean "point" or "lace"; the latter translation is most likely the right one in the context of this article.
===Acceptability=== The practice of covering hair with wigs is debated among halakhic authorities. Many authorities, including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein,<ref>{{Cite book |author=Rav Moshe Feinstein |url=http://parsha.blogspot.com/2007/10/igros-moshe-on-wigs-and-shavers-part-i.html |title=Igros Moshe, Even HaEzer chelek 2, siman 12 |date=29 October 2007 |archive-date=26 November 2018 |access-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126092706/http://parsha.blogspot.com/2007/10/igros-moshe-on-wigs-and-shavers-part-i.html |url-status=live }}</ref> permitted it, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe actively encouraged it,<ref>All over his published correspondence</ref> while many other authorities, especially Sephardi rabbis, forbid it. Some Hasidic groups encourage sheitels, while others avoid them.<ref name="chabad" /> In many Hasidic groups, sheitels are avoided, as they can give the impression that the wearer's head is uncovered. In other Hasidic groups, women wear some type of covering over the sheitel to avoid this misconception, for example a scarf or a hat. Married Sephardi and National Religious women do not wear wigs, because their rabbis believe that wigs are insufficiently modest, and that other head coverings, such as a scarf ({{transliteration|he|tichel}}), a snood, a beret, or a hat, are more suitable. In stark contrast, the Chabad rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, encouraged all married Jewish women to wear sheitels, though in Torat Menachem, he writes that in fact, "if she can cover her hair with a scarf, it is definitely good if she would do so, but in reality, we know that this doesn't happen."<ref name="chabad">[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/72875/jewish/Wearing-A-Sheitel.htm Letters on the importance of wearing a sheitel from the Lubavitcher Rebbe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805082024/http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/72875/jewish/Wearing-A-Sheitel.htm |date=2009-08-05 }}</ref><ref>"Torat Menachem תשי"ד P. 189-190"</ref>
{{citation needed span|Some debate exists within Jewish communities regarding the permissibility of wearing a sheitel (wig) that closely resembles a woman's natural hair, particularly when the wig is perceived to be more aesthetically appealing than her uncovered hair. Critics argue that such wigs may undermine the intended modesty associated with hair covering. However, many rabbinic authorities maintain that the primary purpose of hair covering in Jewish law (halakha) is not necessarily to diminish a woman's attractiveness, but rather to fulfill the religious requirement of concealing her natural hair from public view after marriage. This view holds that modesty is achieved through the act of covering, regardless of the appearance or style of the covering itself.|date=December 2025}}
In 2004, controversy arose over natural hair sheitels procured from India when Rabbi Elyashiv announced a prohibition on the use of Indian hair in Jewish wigs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wakin |first=Daniel J. |date=2004-05-14 |title=Rabbis' Rules and Indian Wigs Stir Crisis in Orthodox Brooklyn |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/14/nyregion/rabbis-rules-and-indian-wigs-stir-crisis-in-orthodox-brooklyn.html |access-date=2022-04-21 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2020-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118170154/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/14/nyregion/rabbis-rules-and-indian-wigs-stir-crisis-in-orthodox-brooklyn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was discovered that the hair used for the production of these wigs was taken from a Hindu temple where pilgrims travelled to undergo the ritual of tonsure (head shaving). According to Jewish law, one cannot derive benefit from anything used in practices considered to be idolatry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fleming |first=Benjamin J. |last2=Yoshiko Reed |first2=Annette |date=2011 |title=Hindu Hair and Jewish Halakha |url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=770a23027fb4cd72e002c5de2006e2bed28b1f13 |journal=Studies in Religion/Sciences Religeuses |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=199-234}}</ref> Subsequently, women in Satmar Brooklyn burned their wigs following the prohibition.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-05-17 |title=Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn Burn Banned Wigs (Published 2004) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/17/nyregion/orthodox-jews-in-brooklyn-burn-banned-wigs.html |access-date=2025-08-31 |language=en |archive-date=2025-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250410081531/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/17/nyregion/orthodox-jews-in-brooklyn-burn-banned-wigs.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Another effort to prohibit the use of tonsured Indian hair made news in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=@avitalrachel |date=2017-09-12 |title=Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Ban Human-Hair Wigs (Again) |url=https://forward.com/life/382502/ultra-orthodox-rabbis-ban-human-hair-wigs-again/ |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=The Forward |language=en |archive-date=2025-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250809002632/https://forward.com/life/382502/ultra-orthodox-rabbis-ban-human-hair-wigs-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Among the alternatives wigmakers pursued was sourcing hair from Cambodia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-01-13 |title=Jewish Wigmakers Look to Cambodia for Lustrous Sheitel Hair |url=https://forward.com/news/190794/jewish-wigmakers-look-to-cambodia-for-lustrous-she/ |access-date=2025-08-31 |website=The Forward |language=en |archive-date=2025-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250521153815/https://forward.com/news/190794/jewish-wigmakers-look-to-cambodia-for-lustrous-she/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Today, many wigs used by Jewish women come with a {{transliteration|he|hechsher}} (kosher certification), indicating that they are not made with hair originating from rituals deemed to be idolatrous.<ref>{{cite web |author=hair sources and background |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/kosher_wigs_new_european_human_hair_wigs_wigs_for_orthodox_women_from_wigsalon_com/prweb11024213.htm |title=Kosher Wigs |publisher=PRWeb |access-date=August 17, 2013 |archive-date=March 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319093431/https://www.prweb.com/releases/kosher_wigs_new_european_human_hair_wigs_wigs_for_orthodox_women_from_wigsalon_com/prweb11024213.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Kosher certification also implies that the sheitels are recognizable as wigs, no longer than the top vertebra of the spinal cord, and appear neat and modest.
==Gargush== thumb|Yemenite Jewish girls wearing gargush caps {{Main|Gargush}}
Women in the Jewish community in Yemen traditionally wore a specific type of headdress called a ''gargush'' ({{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|קרקוש}}}}).<ref>[http://www.chayas.com/garb.htm "Clothing of the Yemenite Jews"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220174330/http://www.chayas.com/garb.htm |date=2006-02-20}}, Chayas.com.</ref>
== Gallery == <gallery widths="180" heights="120" caption="Types of Jewish women's headcoverings"> File:Shuli Mualem.jpg|Shuli Mualem, an Israeli politician, wearing a cap File:תמונה בתיה.jpg|Politician Batya Kahana Dror wearing a headscarf that does not cover all of her hair File:Партрэт Эстэр Хаймаўны Поляк, жонкі Іллі Іосіфавіча Поляка.jpg|A 19th century Belarusian Jewish woman wearing a wig underneath a silk cap or bonnet File:Tunis. Jeune filles Juives LCCN2001705540.jpg|19th century Tunisian Jewish girls wearing headscarves File:Wedding of Joesph Mendelevich to Kati Seroussi, Jerusalem, 1981 (retouched).jpg|A just-married Jewish woman in a white headscarf at her wedding in the late 20th century File:Maurice Minkowski - Eil Molei Rachamiem (Commemorative prayer).Jpeg|A painting of late 19th or early 20th century Polish Jewish women in synagogue, wearing decorated caps with shawls over them File:Jewish Community Synagogue Ahmedabad India women children.jpg|Indian Jewish women. One, seated, is wearing a kippah File:חיוך אריק חתוך.jpg|A woman wearing a headwrap that exposes a "tefach" (maximum acceptable amount) of hair File:Haredi woman (cropped).JPG|A Haredi woman wearing a black headscarf with padding at the hairline File:Yonina Eldar - Technion 2012.jpg|Yonina Eldar, a professor, wearing a sheitel </gallery>
== See also == *Head coverings in Abrahamic faiths: **Head covering for Christian women **Head covering for Muslim women
==References== {{Notelist}} {{Reflist}}
==External links== * ''Deracheha'' article series on women's head covering: [https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-1-halachic-basis/ halachic basis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223204612/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-1-halachic-basis/ |date=2021-12-23 }}, [https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-2-rationale-and-meaning/ rationale and meaning] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224103521/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-2-rationale-and-meaning/ |date=2021-12-24 }}, [https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-3-who/ who must cover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224130300/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-3-who/ |date=2021-12-24 }}, [https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-4-how/ how to cover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224133458/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-4-how/ |date=2021-12-24 }}, [https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-5-where/ where to cover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224135442/https://www.deracheha.org/head-covering-5-where/ |date=2021-12-24 }} *[http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/163782/orthodox-woman-many-hats An Orthodox Woman Wears Many Hats: How To Blend In While Standing Out] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216163832/https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/163782/orthodox-woman-many-hats |date=2021-12-16 }}
{{Hats}} {{Marital life in Judaism}} {{Women in Judaism}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Hasidic clothing Category:Headgear Category:Jewish marital law Category:Judaism and sexuality Category:Jewish religious clothing Category:Modesty in Judaism Category:Wigs Category:Scarves