tichel

Tichel | What Is It? | How To Wear It?

So, the question of the day is what is a tichel? The answer is a tichel is a Jewish term for a headscarf that is worn on the head. Which is also called a headwrap which can be worn in simplicity or in elaborate styles. Also, there are other Jewish headwrap names such as mitpatchat or kisuy rosh. ?Although most Jewish women prefer the term tichel.

The History Of Why Jewish Women Cover Their Hair.

I found a great article on everything you need to know about why Jewish women cover their hair.

?The origin of the tradition lies in the Sotah ritual, a ceremony described in the Bible that tests the fidelity of a woman accused of adultery. According to the Torah, the priest uncovers or unbraids the accused woman?s hair as part of the humiliation that precedes the ceremony (Numbers 5:18). From this, the Talmud (Ketuboth 72) concludes that under normal circumstances hair covering is a biblical requirement for women.

The Mishnah in Ketuboth (7:6), however, implies that hair covering is not an obligation of biblical origin. It discusses behaviors that are grounds for divorce such as, ?appearing in public with loose hair, weaving in the marketplace, and talking to any man? and calls these violations of Dat Yehudit, which means Jewish rule, as opposed to Dat Moshe, Mosaic rule. This categorization suggests that hair covering is not an absolute obligation originating from Moses at Sinai, but rather is a standard of modesty that was defined by the Jewish community.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Jewish authorities reinforced the practice of covering women?s hair, based on the obligation derived from the Sotah story. Maimonides does not include hair covering in his list of the 613 commandments, but he does rule that leaving the house without a chador, the communal standard of modesty in Arabic countries, is grounds for divorce (Laws of Marriage 24:12). The Shulchan Aruch records that both married and unmarried women should cover their hair in public (Even Haezer 21:2), yet the Ashkenazic rulings emphasize that this obligation relates only to married women. The Zohar further entrenches the tradition by describing the mystical importance of women making sure that not a single hair is exposed. (Source)

Modern Times of Jewish Women Head Covering

Today, in most Conservative and Reform communities, women do not cover their hair on a daily basis, though in some synagogues women still cover their heads during prayer. A Reform response (1990) declares: ?We Reform Jews object vigorously to this requirement for women, which places them in an inferior position and sees them primarily in a sexual role.?

?Now that all women agree,? Rabbi Mashash wrote, ?that covering one?s hair is not an issue of modesty and going bare-headed is not a form of disrespect ? in fact, the opposite is true: Uncovered hair is the woman?s splendor, glory, beauty, and magnificence, and with uncovered hair she is proud before her husband, her lover ? the prohibition is uprooted on principle and is made permissible.?(Source)

Tichels are not just for Jewish women.

Headscarves have been used to cover the head by many different cultures all over the world. Anyone can enjoy the art of headwrapping whether it?s for religion, modesty, fashion or protecting your hair from the elements.

Learn how to tie a tichel

The video below demonstrates how to tie a basic tichel using a squared?scarf.

This video demonstrates a more elaborate basic tichel hair tie using a pashmina.

https://youtu.be/xDOu_EU8kmI

 


 

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