10-26-2016, 01:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-26-2016, 01:25 PM by Director Michael.)
A married Gentile woman is not required to wear a hair covering in public, but it is a proper modest and pious practice to do so. If she chooses to do so, it can be with a hair covering of her choice. But of course the hair covering she chooses to wear in public should not defeat that objective- i.e., it should not result in an appearance which is noticeably less modest than without it.
The reasons for hair coverings for married Gentile women and for married Jewish women are not exactly the same. The reason for Gentiles is based on logic: in many societies in earlier times, a *noticeable* hair covering was known to be a clear visible sign to other men that the woman is married, and this helped to guard against the committing of adultery. Although this practice of covering the hair has been largely abandoned in some modern societies, it is a good thing to follow and promote, especially for Noahides, as it is now associated with extra modesty and piety, above and beyond the logical reason which also is still very applicable.
In contrast, the reason for married Jewish women is first and foremost based on the decree of Jewish Torah Law. Starting from the age of 12, Jewish women are forbidden by Torah Law to "expose nakedness" in public. For Jewish women who have never been married, Torah Law dictates that this requires covering the whole torso until the collarbone is covered, the arms until the elbows are covered, and the legs until the knees are covered. For Jewish women who are married or who have ever been married, the hair on the head becomes defined as another area of "nakedness" that must be covered. Therefore, a wig is a very effective means of making sure that all the hair on the head is covered, in observance of this Jewish Torah Law.
On the other hand, for a married Gentile woman, a natural-looking wig by itself probably will not provide much of a visible sign to other men that she is married. So while it may rightly enhance her own feeling of piety and modesty before G-d, and it is certainly permitted, it may be lacking in the actual logical reason that is meant to be associated with her hair covering, that was explained above.
Note that if a Gentile woman was married and then becomes single again by divorce or widowhood, the reason for covering her hair goes away. But in the corresponding situation for a Jewish woman, the Torah Law for a hair covering remains in effect.
The reasons for hair coverings for married Gentile women and for married Jewish women are not exactly the same. The reason for Gentiles is based on logic: in many societies in earlier times, a *noticeable* hair covering was known to be a clear visible sign to other men that the woman is married, and this helped to guard against the committing of adultery. Although this practice of covering the hair has been largely abandoned in some modern societies, it is a good thing to follow and promote, especially for Noahides, as it is now associated with extra modesty and piety, above and beyond the logical reason which also is still very applicable.
In contrast, the reason for married Jewish women is first and foremost based on the decree of Jewish Torah Law. Starting from the age of 12, Jewish women are forbidden by Torah Law to "expose nakedness" in public. For Jewish women who have never been married, Torah Law dictates that this requires covering the whole torso until the collarbone is covered, the arms until the elbows are covered, and the legs until the knees are covered. For Jewish women who are married or who have ever been married, the hair on the head becomes defined as another area of "nakedness" that must be covered. Therefore, a wig is a very effective means of making sure that all the hair on the head is covered, in observance of this Jewish Torah Law.
On the other hand, for a married Gentile woman, a natural-looking wig by itself probably will not provide much of a visible sign to other men that she is married. So while it may rightly enhance her own feeling of piety and modesty before G-d, and it is certainly permitted, it may be lacking in the actual logical reason that is meant to be associated with her hair covering, that was explained above.
Note that if a Gentile woman was married and then becomes single again by divorce or widowhood, the reason for covering her hair goes away. But in the corresponding situation for a Jewish woman, the Torah Law for a hair covering remains in effect.