According to halacha (Jewish religious law), married 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. Contact online >>
According to halacha (Jewish religious law), married 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.
Different kinds of head coverings are used, among them the mitpaḥat or tichel (headscarf), shpitzel, snood, hat, beret, fall, bonnet, veil, headscarf, bandana, and sheitel (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.[1] 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 tzniut.
According to Jewish religious law (halacha), a woman must cover her hair after marriage.[2][3] The requirement applies in the presence of any men other than her husband, son, father, grandson, grandfather, or brother,[4] though a minority opinion allows uncovering hair within one''s home even in the presence of unrelated men.[5]
The obligation to cover hair applies in public areas.[5] In a private home, some sources recommend hair covering (even in the absence of unrelated men), but the consensus is that hair may be uncovered if no unrelated men are present.[4]
The consensus is that all or most of the hair must be covered.[6] Some sources rule that every single hair must be covered,[7] but many others permit a small amount of hair (each source defines the amount differently) to emerge from the head-covering.[8][6]
Various reasons have been suggested for this head-covering, among them:
Numbers 5:18[10] requires, as part of the sotah ritual, that a married woman''s head be made parua (a word which has been understood to mean ''uncovered'' or ''with loose hair''),[11] suggesting that, normally, her hair is not parua. According to the Talmud, this indicates that the Torah prohibits married women in general from appearing parua in public.[12][13]
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[20] suggests that a woman who strictly obeys head covering traditions will reap many blessings for her husband and children.
In Yemen, unmarried girls covered their hair like their Muslim peers;[26] however, upon Yemeni Jews'' emigration to Israel and other places, this custom has been abandoned. Aharon Roth praised this custom.[27] Magen Avraham ruled that while unmarried women need not cover their hair, they must braid it so that it is not disheveled.[28] This ruling is practiced in some Hasidic communities nowadays.[24]
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.[24] 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.[24]
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.[29]
In the 21st century, some non-Orthodox Jewish women began covering their heads or hair with scarves, kippot, or headbands.[30] Reasons given for doing so included as an act of spiritual devotion,[31] as expression of ethnic identity, as an act of resistance to a culture that normalizes the exposure of the body,[32] or as a feminist reclamation of modest dress, a practice sometimes seen as non- or anti-feminist.[33]
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).[35]
The word 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.[36]
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").
A shpitzel (Yiddish: 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.[37] The hairpiece may actually be silk or lace, or else made of synthetic fibers, to avoid too closely resembling real hair.[38] 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.
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.
The term shpitzel may also be used to refer to the ends of a loaf of bread in some dialects.[39] In this case, the above-mentioned translation "Spitze" = (end)point/peak is applicable, with its High German grammatical diminutive "Spitzchen".
Sheitel (Yiddish: שייטל, sheytl n.sg.; שייטלעך, sheytlekh n.pl. or שייטלען, sheytlen n.pl.) is a wig or half-wig. The related term in Hebrew is pei''ah (פאה) or pei''ah nochrit (פאה נוכרית).[40] 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.[1]
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.[40]
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.[41] It is worn with either a hat or a headband.
Judaism prohibits shaving with a razor on the basis of a rabbinic interpretation of Leviticus 19:27, which states, "Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard."[1] The Mishnah interprets this as a prohibition on using a razor on the beard.[2]
This prohibition is further expanded upon in kabbalistic literature.[3]
The book of Leviticus in the Torah makes mention of corners of the head, and prohibits the marring of the corners of the beard, with particular emphasis on priests (kohanim) not marring the corners of the beard;[4] as with many other parts of Leviticus, the Book of Ezekiel describes different regulations, stating that the priests should not shave their heads, or let their locks grow long.[5]
About Jerusalem peak shaving
As the photovoltaic (PV) industry continues to evolve, advancements in Jerusalem peak shaving have become critical to optimizing the utilization of renewable energy sources. From innovative battery technologies to intelligent energy management systems, these solutions are transforming the way we store and distribute solar-generated electricity.
When you're looking for the latest and most efficient Jerusalem peak shaving for your PV project, our website offers a comprehensive selection of cutting-edge products designed to meet your specific requirements. Whether you're a renewable energy developer, utility company, or commercial enterprise looking to reduce your carbon footprint, we have the solutions to help you harness the full potential of solar energy.
By interacting with our online customer service, you'll gain a deep understanding of the various Jerusalem peak shaving featured in our extensive catalog, such as high-efficiency storage batteries and intelligent energy management systems, and how they work together to provide a stable and reliable power supply for your PV projects.
