Halachaהלכה

The Halakha of Wigs and Hair Coverings

Sources address whether wigs and hair coverings—made from one's own hair, another person's hair, or animal hair—are permitted for women, including their permissibility on Shabbat and their status under laws of hair covering.

יוֹצְאָה אִשָּׁה בְּחוּטֵי שֵׂעָר

3 sources · 2 verified

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What the sources say

The foundational source for this question is the Mishnah in Shabbat 64b, which explicitly permits a woman to go out on Shabbat wearing strands of hair made into a wig 'whether they are from her own hair… or from another woman's hair or from an animal' — and the Gemara there notes that all three cases must be stated, since one might have thought that only her own hair is permitted because it is not repulsive.

The Mishnah Berurah (75:15) records a dispute among the authorities as to whether a wig (pei'ah nochrit) is subject to the prohibition of ervah and the requirement of head-covering at all; he notes that the Peri Megadim rules that in places where women customarily go out in a wig, they may rely on the lenient position of the Shulchan Arukh, and that this leniency applies even to hair that was cut from the woman herself and subsequently reattached to her head — though Magen Giborim is strict on that last point.

Shevet HaLevi (5:207) concludes, on our reading of the cited page, that the Kolbo (cited in Beis Yosef, Orach Chaim 75) rules that a wig is permitted whether it is made from the woman's own hair or from another woman's hair, and he addresses the laws governing a married woman covering her hair with such a wig.

Source 1 · Chazal
Verified

Shabbat 64b

שבת ס״ד ב — ד"ה מַתְנִי׳ יוֹצְאָה אִשָּׁה בְּחוּטֵי שֵׂעָר

Shabbat 64b:3

A woman may go out on Shabbat wearing strands of hair placed on her head, whether made from her own hair, another person's hair, or animal hair; the mishna teaches all three cases to clarify that even hair from another person (which might seem repulsive and cause her to remove it) is permitted, since the law does not prohibit it on grounds of concern she will carry it in the public domain.

מַתְנִי׳ יוֹצְאָה אִשָּׁה בְּחוּטֵי שֵׂעָר, בֵּין מִשֶּׁלָּהּ בֵּין מִשֶּׁל חֲבֶירְתָּהּ בֵּין מִשֶּׁל בְּהֵמָה. גְּמָ׳ וּצְרִיכָא, דְּאִי אַשְׁמְעִינַן דִּידַהּ מִשּׁוּם דְּלָא מְאִיס, אֲבָל חֲבֶירְתַּהּ דִּמְאִיס — אֵימָא לָא.

MISHNA: The mishna continues to discuss those items with which it is permitted to go out and those items with which it is prohibited to go out on Shabbat. A woman may go out with strands of hair that she put on her head, whether they are from her own hair that she made into a wig, or whether they are from the hair of another, or whether they are from the hair of an animal. GEMARA: We learned in the mishna that a woman may go out with different strands of hair. The Gemara comments: And it is necessary to cite all of the cases. If the mishna taught us only with regard to her own hair, I would have said that she may go out with it because it is not repulsive, as it is her own hair; therefore, there is no concern lest she come to remove the strands and carry them in the public domain. However, the hair of another, which is repulsive and a different color from hers, say no, she may not go out with it, due to concern lest she be embarrassed, remove it, and come to carry it in the public domain.

Source 2 · Acharonim
Verified

Mishnah Berurah 75:15

משנה ברורה ע״ה:ט״ו

Mishnah Berurah 75:15

Addresses the laws of reciting Shema in the presence of exposed hair and records the major halakhic positions concerning a wig, including the debate over whether it is treated as ordinary uncovered hair.

(טו) שער נכרית - קרי נכרית להשער שנחתך ואינו דבוק לבשרה וס"ל דע"ז לא אחז"ל שער באשה ערוה וגם מותר לגלותה ואין בה משום פריעת הראש ויש חולקין ואומרים דאף בפיאה נכרית שייך שער באשה ערוה ואיסור פריעת ראש וכתב הפמ"ג דבמדינות שיוצאין הנשים בפיאה נכרית מגולה יש להם לסמוך על השו"ע ומשמע מיניה שם דאפילו שער של עצמה שנחתך ואח"כ חברה לראשה ג"כ יש להקל ובספר מגן גבורים החמיר בזה עי"ש. וכתב עוד שם דאם אין מנהג המקום שילכו הנשים בפאה נכרית בודאי הדין עם המחמירין בזה משום מראית העין עי"ש:

See also

Source 3 · Modern
External

Shevet HaLevi 5:207

שבט הלוי, ח״ה סי׳ ר״ז

Shevet HaLevi 5:207

The Kolbo, as cited in the Beis Yosef, rules that a wig is permitted for a married woman whether it is made from her own hair or from another woman's hair.

מש"כ מדברי הכלבו הנזכרים בב"י סי' ע"ה דמותר בפאה נכרית בין שערות דידה בין של חבירתה

On this pageThe author discusses the laws of a married woman covering her hair with a wig (sheitel). He references the Kolbo (cited in Beis Yosef, Orach Chaim 75) who rules that a wig is permitted whether it is made of the woman's own hair or another woman's hair.

Shevet HaLevi 5:207 — page scan on HebrewBooks
Page 208

Shevet HaLevi is not freely available in text. This PDF surfaced in our research. Please use the feedback buttons below to help us improve.

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  • Arakhin 7bunverified

    האשה שנהרגה נהנין בשערה, ואמאי, איסורי הנאה נינהו... אמר רב בפאה נכרית...

    from our library copy — not yet checked against the original

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