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My understanding of the halachic need for a gartel is very limited; is there any reason a woman should or should not wear one during prayer?

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  • לא תלבש may be involved
    – b a
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 1:26
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    That a woman should not wear a man's garment may, indeed, be involved (or not), but that would still have to account for there being a difference between men and women that would over-ride the reason why men wear a gartel in the first place. I thought wearing a gartel had something to do with making a seperation between one's heart, which should be turned towards the sacred, and one's base instincts, as represented by male organs of reproduction. Why would a woman be different, if that is, in fact, the reason for wearing a gartel? (Big 'if' there.)
    – Shemmy
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 2:31
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    @ba So wear a pink gartel. I know of no men who wear those.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 2:34

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Assuming the reason for wearing a gartel is to prevent even accidentally one's heart from seeing one's private parts (which anyway must be covered to pray) as outlined in Alex's answer to the linked question, then it would seem there is no need for a woman to wear a gartel, as the Shulchan Aruch rules in OC 74:4 that due to their anatomical layout, women can never have the issue of her heart seeing her private parts. This ruling actually has a very practical outcome for many Ashkenazi women who recite a bracha on the mikva when standing naked in the water (cf. Shulchan Aruch YD 200 with Shach and Taz).

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  • i'm not sure i understand how wearing a belt prevents your heart from seeing your ervah. furthermore it would seem that the halacha is based on amos 4:12 which is pretty generic, so it would seem to me that your answer is they have no obligation to wear one; however i would assume that the mishnah berura's dictate of a measure of piousness would apply to a woman who wore one for prayer.
    – not-allowed to change my name
    Commented Aug 7, 2012 at 14:19
  • @vram As mentioned in Alex's answer, the advantage of a belt is it helps keep your pants up, hence my language of "even accidental". I think the point of Hikon is to do things as prep that are relevant to davening not just random. As little a purpose as it serves for men, at least a belt serves a purpose. If all you care about is Hikon, then a women should do something at least partly relevant, such as wash her face, brush her teeth, fix her makeup or whatever.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Aug 8, 2012 at 2:50
  • Many of those wearing a gartel also wear suspenders , but no belt. Maybe the clothes could "take off" from the skin revealing the privates to the heart, though the whole body remains covered as seen from the outside. A gartel on top of the clothes would prevent that. As Double AA says, this issue does not exist for women; they only need to be covered outwards.
    – Adám
    Commented Aug 1, 2013 at 16:22
  • +1 The shulchan aruch you bring says that this is true when they are sitting, but are not the woman in the mikva standing?
    – hazoriz
    Commented Jan 10, 2016 at 5:10
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there is no need for women to wear a gartel. the reason for wearing a gartel has to do with the heart no seeing ones ervah but this is not an issue for women as they may say a brechah when in the not clothed in the mikvah. in addition there could be issues of beged isha if using what is commonly refereed to as a gartel

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    What does this answer add?
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Jun 16, 2014 at 22:37
  • +1 why can the woman say the brocho naked?
    – hazoriz
    Commented Jan 10, 2016 at 5:11

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