Part I
We originally printed this series of articles by HaRav
Falk almost exactly two years ago. We are reprinting it at
this time because of the heightened interest in women's
sheitels due to the problems with Indian hair, and due to the
fact that many are now buying new sheitels.
Returning our Crown to its Original Glory
The Jewish people are at present united in feelings of
concern and anxiety, due to the daily distressing happenings
in Eretz Yisroel. For many months there have been numerous
shootings and mass bombings. These have claimed hundreds of
Jewish lives and maimed many hundreds of people for life,
Hashem yeracheim. Since no one knows what severe
danger lurks around the corner, everyone is affected in a
most immediate manner. Instead of these troubles abating
after so many months, the situation is becoming progressively
worse, with the future clouded with worrying uncertainty. At
a time like this, apart from davening and begging
Hashem Yisborach for mercy, it is our duty to
investigate the spiritual causes of the present state of
affairs, so that we can improve our ways and thereby arouse
Heavenly compassion upon ourselves and acheinu bnei
Yisroel (See Rambam, Hilchos Taanis 1:17).
In a public letter written in the year 1924 (5684) (published
at the end of the Chofetz Chaim al HaTorah, page 322)
the Chofetz Chaim wrote that he was convinced that the severe
troubles that befell Klal Yisroel at that time were
due to a lack of tznius. He mentions in particular the
fact that married women did not cover their hair indoors nor
even outdoors.
He bases his causal analysis on the fact that the troubles of
those times gave rise to a feeling that Hashem had chas
vesholom forsaken and abandoned His people to the wicked
devices of their enemies. The only place where the Torah
writes the frightening words "Hashem will forsake you" is in
conjunction with pritzus, as the Torah writes:
"Velo yeiro'eh becho ervas dovor veshov mei'acharecho -
- Hashem shall not see nakedness on you, [for if He does] He
will forsake you" (Devorim 23:15). The Chofetz Chaim
therefore pointed an accusing finger at pritzus as the
cause for the severe troubles that befell Klal Yisroel
in those times.
We are at present in the throes of a seemingly endless string
of tzoros that threaten to engulf the yishuv in
Eretz Yisroel. The nature of these troubles is such
that we once again feel totally abandoned and helpless. In
line with the Chofetz Chaim's words just quoted, we must
assume that a serious lack of tznius is at least one
of the main underlying causes for the present condition.
Nowadays, Orthodox women certainly do not leave their hair
uncovered. However, many wear hair-coverings that are totally
inappropriate and, according to a wide range of
poskim, constitute an issur min haTorah.
The Torah requires a married woman to conceal her hair from
the eyes of the public in order to lessen the attraction to
her. Amongst the many revealed and hidden reasons for this
mitzvah, the following two are relevant and are of paramount
importance.
An unmarried maiden may attract attention to herself (within
the boundaries of tznius) so that she is sought after
and eventually marries (Taanis 13a and Kesuvos
52b). Similarly, a man may look at a girl and take an
interest in her appearance, chein, mannerisms etc. if
he is considering her for marriage for himself or someone
else. A married woman may, however, not attract attention to
herself (Kesuvos 72a Rashi s.v. Azhara and
Ritvo) nor may a man take an interest in the appearance of an
eishes ish, as she is unavailable to everyone but her
husband.
For this reason the hair of a girl may be seen, whilst the
hair of a married woman, which is naturally a major source of
attraction, must be covered and hidden from the eye of the
public. Accordingly, for a married woman to wear a head
covering that easily passes as her own hair defeats the very
function of this mitzvah, since a man seeing her can think
that he is seeing her own hair and be attracted by it,
especially when he does not know who she is and whether she
is married or not.
A similar but different reason why just a married woman must
cover her hair is based on the verse, "Stolen waters are
sweet" (Mishlei 9:17). Due to this, there is a special
yetzer hora for a married woman as she is an eishes
ish (see Sanhedrin 75a and Avoda Zorah
20a). The mitzvah of kisuy sa'aros was given to
lessen a potential source of attraction to such a person and
to safeguard kedushas Yisroel. See Oz Vehadar
Levusha, page 265, that in numerous places in the Torah
hair is highlighted as a major source of attraction.
Accordingly, by commanding the married woman to withhold from
the public how she looks in her true hair, there is far less
danger of a person being drawn to her and kedushas Yisroel
is guaranteed. Hence, it is well understood why it is
considered a major departure from tznius when a
married woman wants to look like an unmarried girl and
attract attention to herself.
A natural-looking sheitel is furthermore forbidden because of
maris ho'ayin, (it appears that the person is
sinning), as some observers will not be able to discern
whether this woman has covered her hair or not. See
Responsa Maharil Diskin, Kuntrus Acharon 203 who
writes: "See Shiltei Gibborim (perek Bameh Ishoh) that
a human hair sheitel is permitted. In my opinion, this ruling
applies only when it is recognizable to all that the sheitel
is not her own hair. If this is not the case, it is certainly
forbidden, just as the blood of fish is forbidden when an
observer might think the person is consuming that which the
Torah forbade. This is especially so as we are dealing with
matters of ervoh which have the potential of leading
to immoral thoughts (and every precaution must be taken to
prevent even the slightest mishap from occurring) etc."
Even nowadays, when the non-recognizable sheitel has become
so widespread, it still happens that women (and all the more
so men) are under the impression that a woman has not covered
her hair, due to the exceptionally deceptive appearance of
her sheitel. This is especially so when shortly after her
chasunah a young woman appears in public looking
exactly as she looked before her chasunah when she was
a girl.
In fact, one cannot know what the outcome of this type of
wrongdoing can be. The great posek the Beis Yitzchok
writes that in his time some women no longer covered their
hair at all, knowing they could "get away with it," as people
would think they had covered their hair with a super-perfect
sheitel See last few lines of Responsa Beis Yitzchok
Orach Chaim 15: "Also, experience has shown that after
wearing a sheitel some take the liberty not to cover their
hair at all, knowing that it will not be noticed, and
transgress an issur min HaTorah." If the Beis Yitzchok
wrote this at a time when sheitels were barely similar to
real hair, how much greater the danger is of this misconduct
occurring in our day and age.
Rulings by the Greatest Poskim
Responsa Chesed Le'Avrohom (Even Hoezer 87) writes as
follows: "Sheitels that are made to such perfection that the
woman wearing them appears to be showing her maiden hair are,
in my opinion, forbidden min haTorah. A married
woman's hair must be covered to prevent attraction. It
therefore makes no difference whether her own hair or other
hair causes this attraction. They are one and the same and
forbidden min HaTorah." The same is written in the
Yeshuos Yaakov (by the great Gaon HaRav Yaakov
Orenstein zt'l) Orach Chaim 75:3.
The present-day gedolei haposkim have similarly stated
that it is osur and wholly incorrect for a sheitel to
be made to simulate the maiden appearance of a woman. In a
proclamation from year 5750 a central paragraph reads as
follows:
"The sheitel is intended as a covering for the woman's hair.
It can be considered as such only when it can be recognized
as a sheitel. If it looks exactly as natural hair, it cannot
be considered to screen off what is supposed to be hidden. By
wearing such a sheitel the wearer ensnares those who see her
in very serious issurim."
The proclamation was made in the name of the geonim,
HaGaon HaRav Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo
Zalman Auerbach, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner and HaGaon
HaRav Nissim Karelitz.
It should be noted that a number of present day gedolei
haChassidus, including the Rebbe of Gur, the Beis Yisroel
zt'l, the Biale Rebbe zt'l, and ylct'a the
Rebbe of Vishnitz signed a powerful proclamation concerning
tznius (the original can be found in the sefer Hatznei'a
Leches page 94).
A Mitzvah Fallen into Disdain
Apart from all that has been said, it is reprehensible and
even shameful if a person is embarrassed by a mitzvah or
harbors feelings of intolerance to the mitzvah due to the
slight restrictions it causes. The following potent
comparison to our case has already been mentioned in the
sefer Oz Vehadar Levusha (page 250).
How would a woman feel if her son had a yarmulke made
for himself that was like a miniature sheitel: gauze on the
inside and short man-like hair covering it from on top? When
he wears it, his head is of course covered. However, to
everyone who sees him, he has nothing on his head!
We can well imagine what his distraught mother would say to
her son when trying to convince him that it is wrong of him
to brush his religion under the carpet in such a manner. The
answer he gives her, that when out on the street he is
ashamed to show that he is a Yid and therefore hides
it, will of course meet with very little sympathy from his
mother.
Yet, little does his mother realize that she is doing exactly
the same as her perplexed son. She, with many of her friends,
are ashamed or hurt by the fact that Yiddishkeit requires
them to cover their hair and that they cannot look "as
natural" as an unmarried girl. They therefore have a sheitel
made which looks exactly as their own hair. With it, they
successfully hide a major part of their Yiddishkeit,
much to the chagrin of all ehrlicher Yidden.
An Emergency
This article is an S.O.S. call (Save Our Sheitels) before
things become even worse and this mitzvah becomes chas
vesholom a mockery in the eyes of our daughters. It is
addressed to Orthodox women in their many countries of
residence as it is an international problem that needs to be
addressed universally. It is hoped that by offering an
analysis of the motivations behind the many styles that
abound nowadays, and stating what actual effect these styles
have, people who earnestly want to do what is right will find
guidance for both the hashkofoh and practical
fulfillment of this mitzvah.
Much has already been explained about the background and
halachic requirements of this mitzvah in the sefer Oz
Vehadar Levusha, pages 227-253, However, an up-to-date
analysis of styles that may seem acceptable as they cover all
the woman's true hair, but are in fact totally unsuitable,
was not incorporated into the sefer. This article has
been written to fill this urgent need.
* * *
On careful analysis, it is apparent that there are a number
of purposeful ploys that are used by manufacturers to cause a
sheitel to look as if it were the woman's own hair. In some
cases, a single strikingly girl-like feature is incorporated
into the manufacture of the sheitel. In other cases the
sheitel in general is made to such perfection that it passes
as the person's own hair. These must be avoided, as
explained. They are as follows:
A. Sheitels with a White Parting
The net onto which the hairs of a sheitel are attached is
usually dark colored in contrast to the human scalp which is
white. Due to this, when a sheitel with a dark net has a
parting down the center or to the side, it is obvious that it
is a sheitel and not a person's real hair because the parting
is dark-colored whilst the parting of a girl is light-
colored.
Nowadays there are those who dye the net white in the
immediate area of the parting, so that the parting is a
distinct white line and very much like the scalp. This in
turn gives the sheitel a marked girl-like look. Since a
sheitel must be recognized as a sheitel, to whiten the area
of the parting in an attempt to camouflage it, is incorrect
practice and is forbidden. Although many who wear such a
sheitel have no bad intentions, it is still very wrong
practice and devastates the content of this mitzvah.
A century ago, when sheitels only vaguely looked like real
hair, it could well have been usual practice to make a white
parting so that the sheitel looked somewhat better. Nowadays,
however, when sheitels are made to a high degree of
perfection, the white parting almost completes the deception
and this is certainly osur.
If a sheitel has a white parting, it can be made kosher by
darkening the net in the area of the parting, so that it is
uniform with the rest of the net. This can be done with the
aid of a permanent marker or similar implement.
Some replace the net in the area of the parting by a fine
silky translucent (semi see-through) material. The material
is dark when dark hair is under it, as is usually the case.
Since it does not cause the parting to look light-colored, it
does not give the impression that the sheitel is natural hair
and is permitted. People replace the net in the area of the
parting with this silky material so that the parting looks
better and the coarse top net is not seen in the area of the
parting. Since the parting remains dark-colored, as
explained, there is nothing wrong with it although it
improves the appearance of the parting.
B. Skin-Top Sheitels
Just as it is wrong for a sheitel to have a white parting, as
explained in the previous point, so it is wrong for a sheitel
to be a skin-top. This is a sheitel where the complete net at
the base of the hairs is white (not just the area of the
parting). Due to the white net (rather than the usual dark
one) white peeks out whenever the hair of the sheitel moves
sideways or is blown open. This looks exactly like a girl's
hair since there too when a girl's hair moves sideways or
lifts up, part of the light-colored scalp can be seen --
hence these sheitels are called "skin-top sheitels."
These sheitels are manufactured by inserting the hairs into
the holes of the net and gluing them into position from the
inside, in contrast to the usual way in which the hairs are
knotted onto the net. Since the hairs come straight out of
the net, the sheitel has a very natural look, as the hair
comes out of the net very much as hair comes out of the
head.
As stated, camouflaging and disguising a sheitel so that it
passes as a girl's hair is fundamentally wrong and defeats
the function of this mitzvah. Therefore, the net of a sheitel
must be dark-colored throughout.
It should be noted, that the first and most oft-quoted
authority that permits sheitels is Rabbeinu Yehoshua Boaz
zt'l known as the Shiltei HaGibborim. His comments on
this subject are to be found on the Rif, maseches Shabbos
page 29 and are referred to by the Ramo Orach
Chaim 75:2. In the midst of his words, the Shiltei
Hagibborim writes the following critical passage: "The term
`a woman's hair is ervoh' refers to hair that is
attached to the scalp, in which case the scalp is seen
together with the hair. This is to the exclusion of a sheitel
that just covers the hair which is not considered ervoh."
The Shiltei Hagibborim repeats this point once again
towards the end of the same piece, due to the importance he
obviously attaches to it.
With these words, the Shiltei Hagibborim has made two points
abundantly clear. First, he only permits a sheitel that looks
distinctly different from a woman's own hair. Second, he
establishes that the "real hair look" is when "skin is seen
together with the hair," such as a parting between the hair
or the scalp peeking out here and there from between the
hair.
Accordingly, it is wholly incorrect and a gross
misrepresentation of this mitzvah to allow sheitels that are
made to such perfection that they look just like usual hair.
Moreover, to manufacture sheitels with a white skin-like
parting or that have a white net which peeks out from between
the hairs of the sheitel is diametrically opposed to the will
of the Torah, as this is the look that the Torah says must be
covered from the eye of the observer. The above quote should
be valuable information for the seekers of truth.
C. Laced Sheitels
One of the worst wrongdoings that are perpetrated concerning
sheitels is the laced sheitel. This is a sheitel in which the
frontal hair that is over the forehead is back-brushed. It is
done in a way that the observer imagines is only possible
with maiden hair which grows out of the scalp and can easily
be back- brushed. With a sheitel this appears to be
impossible because if the hair were back-brushed the net at
the base of the sheitel would inevitably show and it would
look unsightly.
This "trick" is accomplished in two different ways. Some
actually allow some of their own hair to show and then back-
brush these hairs over the front of the sheitel. The extreme
wrongdoing of this type of conduct speaks for itself -- see
Mishna Berurah 75:10 that all the hair must be
covered. See also Oz Vehadar Levusha 5:C.
A second method uses a net with a transparent plastic with a
mat finish. This plastic extends slightly beyond the front of
the sheitel and blends into the surface on which it lies.
Hence, the frontal hairs can be brushed back giving a very
natural finish to the complete sheitel.
When such unorthodox methods of deception are used to
circumvent this mitzvah one naturally feels that, "the crown
of our head has fallen" (Eichoh 5:16).
End of Part I
HaRav Pesach Eliyahu Falk is the author of Oz Vehadar
Levusha.
