Are there any communities in America or Israel where women cover their hair before marriage? Do Satmar women cover their hair before marriage?
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Steven Stein, Welcome to mi.yodeya, and thanks very much for the interesting question! We'd love to have you as a full-fledged member, which you can accomplish by clicking on register/login, above.– Isaac Moses ♦Commented Feb 24, 2011 at 3:19
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What I'd heard suggested is that the custom never caught on, as from when a young lady turned Bat Mitzva until when she got married traditionally wasn't very long anyhow ...– ShalomCommented Feb 24, 2011 at 3:20
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I know historically there was such behavior.– SimchasTorahCommented Feb 24, 2011 at 3:35
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1I believe the Lev Tahor in Canada do.– SAHCommented May 4, 2012 at 8:47
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It is interesting to note that the Rambam holds (Hilchot Issurei Biah 21:17) that single girls must cover their hair just like married women.– AEMLCommented Jan 23, 2013 at 19:02
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4 Answers
Sefardic women have a custom of covering when praying. See Yabia Omer,Yalkut Yosef or Halacha Berurah 2:19, where he says to be strict and cover when mentioning God's name, learning the Bible, saying blessings, bircat hamazon, or praying. In any case he brings that widespread practice is that single girls don't cover her hair.
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It is not true that there aren't communities where this is done, rather most people are just ignorant to the fact that there are. These communities are not only found in Israel but other places as well. What happens is that often times, they keep to themselves, and people assume that the young single girls are married when they see them in public so they just don't know. The married women wear a double head covering just like men in many fervently orthodox communities do. This is the radid, the traditional Jewish (think Biblical) veil. This is still done in Yemen and in recently founded Yemenite diasporic communities including in NYC and in its suburbs. Since people tend to get tunnel vision, they don't notice that these girls don't have wedding rings on.
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1Where in NYC did you see teimoni girls wear a double head covering? I pray at 2 teimoni shuls and been at a third. I have yet to hear from anyone in the shul that their daughters cover their hair like this. I personally ask because I want a shedding that does cover their hair this way. Commented Apr 7, 2013 at 0:55
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@MoriDoweedhYaAgob I didn't SEE the girls. I've been told about these communities from people who I know personally who live in he areas where they are. At least one exists in Borough Park, and another in Monsey, NY. To my knowledge, BOTH communities are essentially invisible, or at least their single daughters are. I saw the rabbanit at Tifereth Israel in Manhattan with a radid once, probably the only time I ever saw her. I know little to nothing about both communities, and to my knowledge at least in Monsey, they're EXTREMELY secretive and reclusive. Can't say I blame them. Here's the kicker– user2900Commented Jun 19, 2013 at 8:57
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@privategirl I live in boro park and I never seem anyone wearing the niqaab besides Muslim women, unless they wear jewish and I just didn't know. However their kids were dark like Pakistanis which are common on boro park so I don't know.maybe I should look closer Commented Jun 19, 2013 at 13:21
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Lev Tahor's girls wear a single garment from top to toe called a redid.– AdámCommented Jul 30, 2013 at 22:09
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@nbz that is according to the RaMbaM who says girls should cover from about age 3 in a rodheedh. Commented Aug 26, 2013 at 16:03
The Magein Avraham in siman 75 s.k. 3 has an interesting aproach to the subject. In order to mantain that the Shulchan Aruch does not contradict itself and to maintain the Rambam's opinion in light of a seemingly contradictory Gemara, he asserts that the pruas rosh that is assur for a single girl does not simply mean uncovered, but rather means let lose.
And there are communities that are very strict that single girls not walk with lose hair. Most hassidic communities keep girls hair in ponies. In some Israeli communities, old time Meah Shaarim comes to mind, the girls keep their hair in braids.
These minhagim are all built off the Magen Avraham and his understanding of Pruas Rosh by single girls. So in that sense, many people are stringent on this, even today. But even the Magen Avraham points out this is only a Rabbinic degree of tznius, not biblical.
Recently in Israel there are stories of a cult that does not exist in the United States. The information I've found about the cut can be read here:
answered Feb 24, 2011 at 1:26
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2This answer has gotten a couple of up-votes, despite it being factually wrong. See user2631's answer and its comments.– AdámCommented Aug 28, 2013 at 17:38