HaGaon HaRav Bentzion Mutzafi Shlita in a Shu’t released which addresses one wearing a sheitel (פאה נכרית), the prominent Sephardi posek rules that one should not buy tefilin from a sofer whose wife wears a sheitel for in his few, it is tantamount to the wife being without a hair covering. The ruling is published in ‘גביע הכסף’, where a number of halachic questions are addressed.
The rav adds that if a Sephardi girl attends seminary in England and she is asked to wear a sheitel for a shidduch, she should not accept the shidduch. The rav was also asked regarding the psak of HaGaon Chacham Bentzion Abba Shaul ZT”L, Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef, who is matir the sheitel in his sefer Ohr L’Tzion. Rav Mutzafi stated Rav Abba Shaul was never matir a shteitel and he never wrote such a psak in his sefer.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Okay –something to argue over!!
pretty extreme view, I would say, if you don’t hold by something put a cherem on all who do?
There are plenty of rabbonim who permit, so make life more difficult even though there is on what to rely on to be lenient?
do you believe this ?
sounds like a middle-eastern fundamentalist spewing hate,
i cant believe he actually said this
IF he did say it then cant be a true tzadiq.
maybe we should boycott his hashgachos?
How about meat from a shochet….
His grandchildren learn in an ashkenazi school with sheitel wearers. He spoke there in a room filled with sheitel wearers and highly recommended the school (i was there). Maybe he is referring to sefardi sheitel wearers.
I would like to request that YWN post the actual source with the text in completion before spreading such a psak, which at this point, is completely out of text or maybe even inaccurate.
Yes I know it is sensational news but hardly a constructive piece of journalism.
It’s a very well known fact that Rav Ovadia Yosef assured wigs, he did not consider it to be a head covering at all (he clearly writes that rov poskim, ashkenaz and sephardic including the Chasam Sofer and the Gra, forbade wigs). Rav Elyashiv permitted wigs but only very wiggy wigs that looked like they were made decades ago, he clearly stated in a shiur that the wigs of today incite the yetzer hora just like hair and are like erva.
Everyone can make light of the sheitels, but it is a MAJOR problem in the frum world right now, and todays wigs make a complete mockery of the true intention of the mitzvah- married Jewish women are supposed to cover their hair because it becomes erva after marriage, it is a source of attraction to other men and a frum married woman is supposed to cover her hair so that she actually looks married! Not that she suddenly gets married and her hair is even nicer than before! What a total joke and mockery of the mitzvah!
And we can all be in denial that this is not a major issue, but look at the streets in the Jewish world right now. And many non Jews and secular Jews make fun of these wigs, it’s such a chillul Hashem. Look at all the horrible ads for sheitels in all the frum publications and on the websites. We have unfortunately become so desensitized to this issue that barely anyone recognizes how wrong the modern day wigs are. They are causing lots of pritzus and men have no idea anymore who is married and who is single. it is a massive money making industry. And frum women actually think they are doing a mitzvah by wearing natural looking wigs! It’s not their fault- barely anyone is teaching the mitzvah of kisui rosh.
BH many frum women are recognizing how hypocritical these wigs are and they are choosing to cover their hair now in the most halachically and hashkafically ideal way possible- with a tichel!
Rav Elyashiv clearly stated his preference for a tichel (The Unique Princess by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Abramov, pg 105). He was very concerned about todays wigs which he said was always a controversy among the Poskim, as opposed to a tichel which he said is “glatt”!
We need Moshiach- please everyone wake up and see that most of the wigs of today are a big nichshal and one of the biggest sheker in the frum world today!
If Rav Ovadia Yosef screamed in a shiur that any man who wants his wife to wear a sheitel- he is a rasha and his torah learning is worthless- it’s something to think about! Not just for sephardic people, many Ashkenazic Gedolim screamed about the wigs too.
We shouldn’t ignore them. We need a yeshua fast
Referring to some of the comments above… if he ain’t like you he can’t be real?!
Yes some people are strong in their beliefs if only we all had such zeal for the mitzvos! Americans don’t understand how someone can speak so strongly about an issue and not worry about being politically correct. But in Israel people don’t worry about political correctness. Seen this over and over. We need to learn to hear what a Rav has to say even if it’s out of our comfort zone without accusing the Rav of being a fake.
I’m surprised he said because I heard his own family wear sheitlech.
Whether you agree or disagree with the inyan of a sheitel not really serving the purpose of completely covering the real or faux hair of a woman, as a practical matter there is no way when you purchase a set of teffilin to know whether or not the sofer’s wife wears a sheitel, a snood, or nothing at all. In simple terms, much ado about nothing and not worth debating. There are plenty of rabbonim who approve of sheitels, so simply listen to your local rav/posek.
Many women today have to work-some of us in the secular world where wearing a headcovering would not be allowed.
Some are supporting a husband in Kollel, others need the 2 incomes to support their family. What should they do?
I’m not a posek and don’t feel qualified to comment on any Rabbinim’s psak, but I’m just asking….