Halacha Headlines 12/27/25 – Shiur 541 – Are sheitels only b’deieved?
Dec 26, 2025
Guest
Rebbetzin Shalvie Friedman
Guest
Rabbi Tzvi Ortner
Guest
Rabbi Dovid Genish
Guest
Rabbi Michoel Frank
Join Rabbi Michoel Frank, a community rabbi from Silver Spring, and Rabbi Dovid Genish, a Sephardic expert, as they debate the nuances of women's hair covering. Rabbi Tzvi Ortner shares Hasidic insights, discussing the pros and cons of sheitels versus tichels. Rebbetzin Shalvie Friedman offers a personal touch, exploring the spiritual significance behind these practices. Delve into topics like the origins of sheitel customs, the significance of shaving heads after marriage, and the balance between leniency and community expectations.
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Episode notes
Source And Status Of Hair Covering
- The obligation for married women to cover hair is derived from the sotah narrative and treated as a serious halachic requirement (das Moshe).
- Poskim debate its precise status, but many treat uncovered married hair as a derabbanan-level prohibition with significant moral weight.
When The Obligation Starts
- Poskim dispute when the obligation begins: some say from kiddushin, others only after biyah, and communal minhag often determines practice.
- The cheder yichud (yichud room) can create practical reasons to be stringent and cover from the chuppah in many communities.
Early Proofs For Permitting Wigs
- Early sources (Shilta Giborim, Gemara) provide grounds to permit wigs, and major halachic authorities like the Rema and some Acharonim pasken leniently.
- The Be'er Sheva challenges those proofs but mainly questions the evidentiary basis rather than providing explicit textual prohibition.