Head covering for Jewish women
[17] 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 ervah,[18] 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 ervah for the purpose of prayer.
[19] 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.
[24] 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.
[24] 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.
[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.
[29] In the 21st century, some non-Orthodox Jewish women began covering their heads or hair with scarves, kippot, or headbands.
[33] Mitpaḥat (Hebrew: מִטְפַּחַת miṭpaḥat), also called a tichel (Yiddish: טיכל tikhl), is the headscarf worn covering the hair.
[34] Mitpaḥot can range from a plain scarf of any material worn over the hair to elaborate head coverings using multiple fabrics and tying techniques.
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.
In other Hasidic groups, women wear some type of covering over the sheitel to avoid this misconception, for example a scarf or a hat.
[46] 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).
Today, many wigs used by Jewish women come with a hechsher (kosher certification), indicating that they are not made with hair originating from rituals deemed to be idolatrous.
[47] 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.
