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Hilchos Kriyas Shema 75 (page 216)
מאמצע סעיף א ויש אומרים עד סעיף ג
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Must a Woman Cover Her Hair in Her Home?
Is a Human Hair Wig an Acceptable Head Covering?
Gazing at a Woman
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Must a woman cover her hair in her home?
The Torah requires a married woman to cover her hair. A woman should cover her hair even at home. There is an opinion that allows women to uncover their hair at home, but there is a longstanding custom to be stringent. The Zohar offers strong reproof to women who do not cover their hair properly and great blessing to those who cover it even at home. Unmarried women are not required to cover their hair. The poskim discuss whether long hair must be kept tied.
(
י, יב ו־יד, וביה"ל ד"ה מחוץ; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 26)
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Is a human hair wig an acceptable hair covering?
According to the Rama and other poskim, a woman may cover her head with a human hair wig, but some Acharonim do not consider a human hair wig to be a proper covering. Among those who take the lenient view, there is a separate discussion as to whether a woman can cover her head with a wig made from her own hair. There is an opinion that women should not wear wigs in places where wigs are uncommon, so that it should not appear that their hair is uncovered.
(
סעיף ב וס"ק טו)
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It is forbidden to gaze upon a woman for enjoyment. Such gazing can cause improper thoughts. It is forbidden to even glance at the parts a woman typically keeps covered, because doing so can also cause improper thoughts. Chazal were strict about this because of the strength of the yetzer hara. It is proper for a man- and certainly for a respectable man-not to look at women (aside from his wife, daughter and sister, whom he may gaze upon even for enjoyment).
(
ס"ק ז; ביאורים ומוספים דרשו, 16 ו־18)
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- When davening the Amida, one must be attired in a distinguished manner, as befitting one who is standing before a king. It is forbidden to daven while incompletely dressed. Ideally, one should dress properly for kriyas Shema and berachos (and possibly Torah study) as well.
- A woman's body, except for her face and her arms below the elbows, must be covered at all times. It is proper that she cover her arms a little below the elbow as well.
- It is forbidden to recite a davar sh'bekedusha in the presence of a woman whose covered areas are revealed more than a tefach.
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- Listening to a woman's voice
- Listening to a recording of women singing
- May brothers and sisters sing Shabbos zemiros together?
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PLEASE NOTE: The information in this email is for learning purposes only. Please review the Mishna Berura and Biurim U'Musafim before making a halachic decision. Hebrew words are occasionally transliterated to enable a smoother reading of the text. Common Ashkenazi pronunciation is generally used in these cases.
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