In most Orthodox communities, married women cover their hair. That can be accomplished my wrapping your hair in a tichel, a Jewish version of the hijab, or wearing a wig.

This week’s Torah portion, Naso, gives the reason why. As Rabbi Wikipedia says:

“According to the Torah, the priest uncovers or unbraids the accused woman’s hair as part of the humiliation that precedes the ceremony testing for an unfaithful wife (Numbers 5:18). From this, the Talmud (Ketuboth 72) concludes that under normal circumstances hair covering is a biblical requirement for women.”

If the Wikipedier Rebbe is right about Parshah Naso, then covering hair for tzniut (modesty) purposes completely flies out the window, because if hair is really sexy, it would make sense for every woman cover her hair and not just the married ladies. So what gives?

The issue from a traditional perspective is one of appropriateness. For example, if you are married, is it [Read more…]