tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40713041126682222392024-02-22T11:09:21.120-05:00How to Cover: A Head-Covering BlogA look at Jewish head-covering from a not-quite-Orthodox perspective. Style, halakha, home-made coverings, and personal reflections, all included.Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-18164703350974111112016-11-02T13:13:00.001-04:002016-11-02T13:13:14.247-04:00Women Without Hats: A ResponseIn <a href="http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/213056/women-without-hats" target="_blank">"Women Without Hats", Miriam Mandel Levi shares her head-covering journey</a>, which takes her from feminist opposition to head-covering to troubled acceptance to decision not to think too hard to rejection- albeit, rejection that maintains a consistent covering practice... <br />
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The piece read as a story of one person's struggle with Torah and with observance, using the question of head and/or hair covering as a lens into the struggle. The controversial kuntz was that, after 25 years of head-covering (with hats), she changed her practice to a much more liberal version- small scarves, rather than hats that covered most of her hair. But really, it's the story of a life of religious faith in the modern world- the struggle to combine and coordinate between faith, feminism, family, friends... <br />
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To be frank, I think that the author could probably re-view her practice in different lights, and find more peace with either her old practice or her new one, and in the end find more comfort in her practice, and in its feminist acceptability, than she currently seems to. But I'm not actually sure that that's what she wants. She writes that she encountered a text that talks about devotional head-covering: "<span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px;">I had a short reprieve when I came across a quotation in the Talmud by Rabbi Huna Ben Joshua, a third-century sage, who said that he never walked four cubits with his head uncovered, “because the Presence is always over my head.” His proclamation is one of the sources for the custom of men wearing</span><span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px;"> </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">kippot</em><span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px;">. Rabbi Huna’s words resonated with me. Perhaps if I thought of my hats as a reminder of this divine presence, I would better tolerate, even appreciate them. Hair covering would have a meaning and purpose I could embrace wholeheartedly. </span><span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px;">Unfortunately, Rabbi Huna’s inspiration was short-lived. Within a matter of weeks, my hats did not remind me of the Presence any more than my socks did."</span><br />
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Somehow, the fact that this inspiration didn't last, as most inspirations of this sort don't, was enough to put her off... But I doub that anyone who wears kippah regularly is thinking about it inspirationally on a regular basis either, after a while. It certainly wore off, except for random moments, for me. But when you're struggling, a normal state of affairs isn't always enough. <br />
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Nevertheless, there's something that feels a little bit "white" about the feminism that the author is influenced by, although I don't seem to be able to flesh out why, yet. Something about the long Jewish history of head-covering, and that simplifying it into a modesty thing feels reductionist to me. But maybe that's just because I like the practice, and it feels no less feminist than a wedding ring, to me.<br />
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It sounds rather more controversial than it probably is, given the wide variety of ways that this mitzvah is practiced, to be honest. A practice that she describes as "<span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px;">I know the scarves don’t adhere to even the most minimal legal standard of hair covering. They aren’t particularly modest and don’t necessarily identify me as married or religious.</span><span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px;"> " is in fact the marital head-covering practice of several women I know- although it is also the devotional head-covering practice of some women I know also... </span><br />
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<span style="color: #2c3138; font-family: "Georgia W01 Regular", Georgia; font-size: 16px;">Yes, it doesn't mark the community that she spends her life in, quite- but it's still likely that an informed viewer will see it and know that that scarf, small as it is in relation to the hats she's used to, is still likely sending signals of "observant" and "married", if in a somewhat different mode of "observant" than she's used to. I offer, in support, the fact that when I was single and covered in that style, I definitely got some comments of "how is anyone going to know that you're single if you wear that".</span>Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-11658284656976219732016-07-06T18:11:00.001-04:002016-07-06T18:11:35.660-04:00Shiny for Shabbos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My mother gave me this scarf, which is rather large, but amazingly shiny, with pretty remarkable fringe (you can see it a bit in the last picture). It's definitely not a weekday scarf- but for fancy, it is lovely. The tie is very simple, and for once, here are pictures of me with a volumizer underneath. <br />
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I did add a pin on one side- I think it's also from my mom. <br />
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It matched my necklace perfectly. <br />
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<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-66938080977379440432016-06-20T12:47:00.000-04:002016-06-20T12:47:51.614-04:00Lacy With Doodles Hanging Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNr9S-4_1v-8QB1DU-GsGBy2_BLiJphxnjSbhcskp4Qwu1cdv6LxBE7St_zJa9NLW-KhkpGztdpUsdjfuVARjg7oAAmTMfpFLDmD7h26ze9nKvj4DC9t8PX-3lnjdJ2j_OY0O07y45DZQ/s1600/P3170084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNr9S-4_1v-8QB1DU-GsGBy2_BLiJphxnjSbhcskp4Qwu1cdv6LxBE7St_zJa9NLW-KhkpGztdpUsdjfuVARjg7oAAmTMfpFLDmD7h26ze9nKvj4DC9t8PX-3lnjdJ2j_OY0O07y45DZQ/s320/P3170084.JPG" width="240" /></a><script async="" data-pin-hover="true" defer="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_bbKzSDNnGX5LOiugDk82ZjAe71r5Rc3H1xMxG1OzsX2azih-Hho3a4CRjWPtI4HJmYuJkv9iKyIxuIXNg4z_1mLXUKtAMfaKjaVGKCX2cuxtvZjexLLDSEuGskHADMRZ2qHVdnVvj4/s1600/P3170083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_bbKzSDNnGX5LOiugDk82ZjAe71r5Rc3H1xMxG1OzsX2azih-Hho3a4CRjWPtI4HJmYuJkv9iKyIxuIXNg4z_1mLXUKtAMfaKjaVGKCX2cuxtvZjexLLDSEuGskHADMRZ2qHVdnVvj4/s320/P3170083.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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None of these photos is really great, but it should give a bit of the sense of the thing. <script async="" data-pin-hover="true" defer="" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>
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<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-8698453907414369092016-04-03T11:56:00.000-04:002016-04-07T23:46:08.144-04:00Colorful for A Rainy Day, With a Flower The day I wore this was rainy and overcast, and I'm pretty sure it was a day preceded by a bad night of toddler-sleep. In other words, I needed what energy I could find, and somehow still had some to invest in my wrap. So I did something spontaneous that came out a bit differently- I'd never put a flower up so high before. But I think it worked- what do you think? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmUxuNgy6rcTix2hJWnClQIjqxQGMw7lHb7yJDPlLFJ-gHdA3J4pCd5d0_ZErG5g9b4b39Pbp1lgGVaDAe4GaDk6Ls8H7P4MN7D2odCWQ-vxY8HBCVoE4Yteknz4ITG5Ke2D2cD5nejo/s1600/P3150059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmUxuNgy6rcTix2hJWnClQIjqxQGMw7lHb7yJDPlLFJ-gHdA3J4pCd5d0_ZErG5g9b4b39Pbp1lgGVaDAe4GaDk6Ls8H7P4MN7D2odCWQ-vxY8HBCVoE4Yteknz4ITG5Ke2D2cD5nejo/s320/P3150059.JPG" width="320" /></a><script async defer data-pin-hover="true" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>
I wore it with a sort of tunic-length sweater that my mom got for me (she finds many of my interesting clothes), and an old-standard of a skirt- khaki, sort of mermaid-shaped. The sweater is bright (as you can see), but there wasn't a lot of zing happening in the clothes, although the sweater certainly helped the bright colors thing along. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexRPUafIY6XL50H01yex12rtGsgIe8tfkqzuX7Q4SaelJojgk1wsExVr91EnA6isKJIhyphenhyphenfXabBZJQBYGegqLvM0JuaOMoIeDG9NAxrbOxn64qKuQ_voYhEP0kSKx8_E27aNFH1CuYsME/s1600/P3150060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexRPUafIY6XL50H01yex12rtGsgIe8tfkqzuX7Q4SaelJojgk1wsExVr91EnA6isKJIhyphenhyphenfXabBZJQBYGegqLvM0JuaOMoIeDG9NAxrbOxn64qKuQ_voYhEP0kSKx8_E27aNFH1CuYsME/s320/P3150060.JPG" width="320" /></a><script async defer data-pin-hover="true" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>
Without the flower, it looked pretty standard, though....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVPdCFUOzWI_hsud-BRfxLuyxGtfrMD_D1noJy2He9HfRG1C8NbKnhJ_OZEDwf-2bJE8P06PsZuCbYw7HNN9S-fyDvuHC5qVSS-d4Uw2U_wo7vygt2X755Xna1x9DFSzPCGKITiw0uPk/s1600/P3150062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVPdCFUOzWI_hsud-BRfxLuyxGtfrMD_D1noJy2He9HfRG1C8NbKnhJ_OZEDwf-2bJE8P06PsZuCbYw7HNN9S-fyDvuHC5qVSS-d4Uw2U_wo7vygt2X755Xna1x9DFSzPCGKITiw0uPk/s320/P3150062.JPG" width="320" /></a><script async defer data-pin-hover="true" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-36234182868541360262016-03-31T12:20:00.000-04:002016-03-31T12:20:55.454-04:00Another Triple-Knot Variation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUUGyX-FrloR5-7ITB1YiGVWEuPMYmbJoS6aF_flKvb-7ZWjLa_-xqDgJiLGppzyvujwyV_O0zg_wd5S7PaemWt2rQLk_EPdAzd9tRcXjPQLaPCZZJWOab6qd8AS87wiHL8D7-vIm2dg/s1600/P3160078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUUGyX-FrloR5-7ITB1YiGVWEuPMYmbJoS6aF_flKvb-7ZWjLa_-xqDgJiLGppzyvujwyV_O0zg_wd5S7PaemWt2rQLk_EPdAzd9tRcXjPQLaPCZZJWOab6qd8AS87wiHL8D7-vIm2dg/s320/P3160078.JPG" width="320" /></a><script async defer data-pin-hover="true" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>
Back in <a href="http://howtocover.blogspot.com/2016/01/photos-style-ive-been-playing-with.html">this post</a>, I showed you a style I was playing with, inspired by some one-knotted pictures I've seen through <a href="http://wrapunzel.com/">wrapunzel</a> and its associated facebook group. This variation uses three knots, close together, which creates a sort of setting for a horizontal pin, and maintains a low-key but visible asymmetry. <br />
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It is definitely a style to do with a sash/thin rectangular scarf, not with a full scarf- the knots, at least on me, get too big rather quickly with the sort of scarf that would cover my whole head unless it is Very, Very thin. So far, I've been most successful with stretchy dollar-store scarves as my knotted scarf. We'll see how less stretchy ones work. Then, when I can find the time, perhaps a tutorial. <br />
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This pictures gives you a closer look. Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-80907699284660034292016-03-28T13:29:00.000-04:002016-03-28T13:29:01.669-04:00Devotional Head Covering Source, Shulhan Arukh, Orekh Chayim 91:3-4Translation partially by Sarah Mulhern. <br />
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שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות תפלה סימן צא </div>
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יש אומרים שאסור להוציא אזכרה מפיו בראש מגולה, * וי"א שיש למחות שלא ליכנס בבהכ"נ בגלוי הראש. </div>
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סעיף ד</div>
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כובעים, (קפיל"ה בלעז) הקלועים מקש, חשיבא כסוי, אבל הנחת יד על הראש לא חשיבא כסוי; ואם אחר מניח ידו על ראשו של זה, משמע דחשיבא כסוי. </div>
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סעיף ה</div>
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ה לא יעמוד באפונדתו (טאסק"ה בלעז) ולא בראש מגולה ולא ברגלים מגולים, אם דרך אנשי המקום שלא יעמדו לפני הגדולים אלא בבתי רגלים. </div>
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Translation:</h4>
91:3 There are those who say that it is forbidden to say the name of G-d with an uncovered head, and there are those who say that there is reason to object [and say] one should not enter a synagogue with an uncovered head.<br />
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91:4 Hats (Kipeleh in the vernacular) that are plaited from straw are considered a covering, but putting the hand on the head is not considered covering; and if another person rests his hand on this person's head, it is considered a covering.<br />
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91:5 One should not stand with his money bag/purse, and not with an uncovered head, and not with uncovered legs, if the way of people in that place is not to stand before the great without shoes.<br />
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<br />Commentary:</h4>
Once again, we tangle with the question of whether all of this grammatically masculine halakha is addressed only to men, primarily to men, or is only assumed by later/any readership to only mean men. I will note (as I have done before, I'm sure) that in many contexts similar to that of the Mechaber, unmarried women covered their heads in some way as a social norm. This makes it hard to determine whether he was even considering what was required of women, or whether he assumed that the rules were the same, or if he had some other considerations that I have not yet found for women's heads and prayer.<br />
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I would never have questioned the validity of a straw hat, which the Shulhan Arukh here feels a need to state qualifies as a hat- I suppose a straw hat is a very flimsy sort of covering compared to a turban. Interesting to see it here as a further note as to the way that our social perceptions of dress influence how we shape the boundaries of halakha. Here's codification of something I would have never questioned- and therefore would never have addressed as question in need of answering. <br />
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Head-covering here seems to be a matter of showing respect, especially given that 91:5 makes an explicit analogy between the way you dress for prayer and the way you would dress to be in the company of an important person. This one does reflect an awareness of differences of cultural norms, mostly around how one clothes one's legs, that suggests that the earlier sections about head covering are less socially-defined than permanently set as a symbol of respect or awe.Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-4197416373311672952016-03-27T17:55:00.002-04:002016-03-31T12:40:47.274-04:00Double Twist In Strong Colors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two scarves, one headband. Order is 1 scarf, then the headband, then the second scarf is twisted with the tails of the first scarf, and each twist is wrapped over the head and the ends tucked through. <br />
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<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-4643075163512787142016-03-24T11:02:00.000-04:002016-03-31T12:41:13.140-04:00Purim Pictures (Admittedly, Neither This Year Nor Actually Purim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkReqFSsrkSmwDxPeR7LmrNlydI8l3S-p1CwjYK-wy19xmzFRFAR4ixvCXTjWE6Qi9FKaaO74Xt0FNQmJ4VnZuSjuaGef481QksterG9kxkiZJBN_xwH_u7Jxh_ryguvQPMDdaAhxss4k/s1600/P1090097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkReqFSsrkSmwDxPeR7LmrNlydI8l3S-p1CwjYK-wy19xmzFRFAR4ixvCXTjWE6Qi9FKaaO74Xt0FNQmJ4VnZuSjuaGef481QksterG9kxkiZJBN_xwH_u7Jxh_ryguvQPMDdaAhxss4k/s320/P1090097.JPG" width="320" /></a><script async defer data-pin-hover="true" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>
I took these photos while basically playing dress up, a few years ago. I liked them, but didn't know what to do with them, since they're hardly regular going-out-in-public wear. But it's Purim. And I never get my photos off the camera for a while, so Purim photos from this year are unlikely to go up today. So instead, enjoy my play from another time (tellingly, this is in our previous apartment, and if I had the energy to do this, it is likely from before I was pregnant with our lovely nearly 1.5 year old, so...)<br />
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<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-36819623913570583502016-03-21T10:52:00.002-04:002016-03-21T10:52:54.068-04:00Bright And Shiny For A Dark DayI think this was what I wore on a snowy day- admittedly, a while ago. The scarf is thin wool, which suited the weather nicely. The pin's sparkles made for some brightness amidst the winter gloom. <br />
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The pictures were taken in my bathroom mirror, as a change of pace/use of the best light in the apartment, when depending on artificial light. .<br />
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And a closer-up of the pin. The silhouette isn't perfect, but oh well.<br />
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<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-47239209132994481832016-03-14T11:20:00.000-04:002016-03-14T11:20:45.922-04:00Devotional Head Covering Source, Shulhan Arukh, Orekh Chayim 2:6 <h4>
<br />Text:</h4>
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שולחן ערוך אורח חיים הלכות הנהגת אדם בבקר סימן ב סעיף ו </div>
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אסור לילך בקומה זקופה, ולא ילך ד' אמות בגילוי הראש (מפני כבוד השכינה), ויבדוק נקביו. הגה: ויכסה כל גופו, ולא ילך יחף . וירגיל עצמו לפנות בוקר וערב, שהוא זריזות ונקיות (הגהות מיימוני פרק ה' מהלכות דעות. </div>
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Translation:</div>
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Shulhan Arukh, Orech Hayim, Laws About a Person in the Morning<br />
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2:6 It is forbidden to walk with an upright posture (haughtily) and one should not walk four amot [cubits] with an uncovered head (because of respect for the Shechinah) and one should examine one's orifices [to make sure they are clean]. Gloss: One should cover one's whole body, and not go barefoot. And one should accustom oneself to turn aside [to use the bathroom] morning and evening, for this is scrupulous and clean. <br />
<h4>
Commentary:</h4>
This halakha comes in the context of rules about a person getting dressed in the morning. In this context, covering one's head right away, before walking any significant distance (4 amot, about a man's height) is both part of getting dressed and is described explicitly as done to give respect to the Shechinah- G-d's presence. Thus, it is a devotional practice, related to our awareness of G-d's presence in the world. However, it is outward, designed to give respect in itself, rather than as a reminder for the person. <br />
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It is interesting that head covering is described as religious or devotional in meaning, yet it is set in the context of both modesty and politeness to other people: covering the whole body with clothing, wearing shoes, and keeping one's orifices clean. It suggests to me that the attempt that I, and others, are always making to distinguish between modesty and respect for G-d and polite self-presentation may be not entirely possible. They seem to be quite wrapped up in each other. It's something I'm going to want to think more about. <br />
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It is surprising that this is given as straight halakha, while the popular conception of things is that head covering is custom, rather than law. Here, however, it is treated as law, at least in some sense. Oddly, encouraging regular toileting habits is treated in the same area, which is an odd addition- except that the following section of Shulhan Arukh is laws pertaining to using the bathroom, which makes this comment rather a nice literary transition. <br />
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Also interesting is the lack of gendering here. My presumption is that this is talking to men, but it never says it explicitly here. I'll have to talk a look at the earlier part of the section to see if there is any clarification, or if it operates on presumption. <br />
<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-31697878967350701212016-02-15T12:14:00.000-05:002016-02-15T12:14:13.448-05:00Devotional Head Covering Source, Masechet Sofrim, Chapter 14, Halakha 12Translation mostly courtesy of Sarah Mulhern, rabbinical student and friend. <br />
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(For more on Masechet Sofrim, one of the "smaller tractates", additions to the Talmud- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soferim_(Talmud)">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soferim_(Talmud)</a>).<br />
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Text:</h4>
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מסכתות קטנות מסכת סופרים פרק יד</div>
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פוחח, הנראין כרעיו, או בגדיו פרומים, או מי שראשו מגולה, פורס על שמע, ויש אומרים בכרעיו נראין, או בגדיו פרומים, פורס על שמע, אבל בראשו מגולה אינו רשאי להוציא הזכרה מפיו; ובין כך ובין כך מתרגם, אבל אינו קורא בתורה, ואינו עובר לפני התיבה, ואינו נושא את כפיו. </div>
<h4>
<br />Translation:</h4>
What is pocheach (a condition in which a person is able to say shema but not to read Torah)? One whose thighs are visible, or his garments are unraveling, or his head is bare,may recite shema. And there are those who say that one whose knees are visible or his garments are unraveling may recite the shema, however one whose head is uncovered is not permitted to mention the name of Gd. And any of these may translate but they may not read Torah, and they may not lead services [literally: descend before the ark], and they may not give the priestly benediction.<br />
<h4>
<br />Commentary:</h4>
We often don't think about modesty for prayer as a gender-neutral or masculine concern, but in this context, where the assumption is that men are the ones who read Torah, lead services, etc, it is clear that we are talking about minimum standards of male modesty. <br />
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In this context, there are three "levels" of modesty- the first, where one may perform any public ritual function, such as leading services and reading Torah. This requires covered thighs and intact clothing. <br />
<br />
In the second level, one may pray privately, but not lead services or be involved in most public ritual. This category is the explicit topic of this text, and includes such intermediate sorts of body-coverage such as having thighs visible or clothing that is unraveling or presumably has holes. A second opinion includes even bare knees.<br />
<br />
In either of these categories, one may still be a translator for the Torah reading [a practice that most of the Jewish world has abandoned, perhaps with the availability of printed texts, but the Yemenite community still maintains. The practice is to translate each verse into Aramaic, one at a time, after they are read from the Torah.] So there are still some public roles that are acceptable while not fully meticulously covered. <br />
<br />
In the third, one may not even pray privately, especially according to the second opinion given, that forbids even mentioning G-d with an uncovered head.<br />
<br />
This text is relevant to our questions because there is a disagreement as to what category being bare headed falls into. The first opinion puts it into the second level- pocheach, while the second opinion puts it into the third level, where one may not even pray privately. <br />
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This is interesting because this is a description of head covering as part of a concern for public appropriateness or appearing respectable. And yet the second opinion implies that it is actually about private respect for G-d, and relevant in all situations, even unconnected to how one appears to other people. The two opinions have different visions of what head covering (for men at least) is about- is it devotional or about public respectability? <br />
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Depending on which way we go, we can derive different decisions about the importance of covering now, where it is of less concern for public respectability, and where women as well as men may be interested in covering as a devotional practice. If it is about public respectability, we may want to be not only lenient but also find that there's less significance to wanting to do so. If it is about the ability to appropriately pray, then we should encourage it for as many Jews as we can, in a wider range of contexts. <br />
<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-38165127781602749222016-01-31T11:07:00.003-05:002016-01-31T11:07:35.451-05:00Photos! A Style I've Been Playing WithI've been playing around with this lately. <br />
"Ingredients":<br />
2 scarves, at least 1 of them rectangular<br />
1 rectangular-ish/bar-shaped pin<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XFkHriCcM7xwHXG94f_yvUZTV-PVZbANMa64nlyLXhlaGAUOVVwmACjQQ1KBd1MRnTLaw_UeWflLMxNV8VoSMkNcUvlxiQxSg2OrlRRXo67UyYNvi1FzPhxlLvSYuZiK6NCCr9LPfkQ/s1600/P1100036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XFkHriCcM7xwHXG94f_yvUZTV-PVZbANMa64nlyLXhlaGAUOVVwmACjQQ1KBd1MRnTLaw_UeWflLMxNV8VoSMkNcUvlxiQxSg2OrlRRXo67UyYNvi1FzPhxlLvSYuZiK6NCCr9LPfkQ/s320/P1100036.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Directions:</div>
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1. Tie 1st scarf to cover</div>
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2. Tie 3 knots next to each other in the 2nd scarf. </div>
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3. Place on head so that knots are off-center. Arrange the res of the scarf as desired (more examples will come). Tie scarf.</div>
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4. Place pin in front of knots.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_a1DiX8CfdgeuBHisKV6pcgNgKnO7FJWBb8nY0H-mVxl4KY4jIPFrmBxq_yj9vy7onyOtZNn75PwtSvlcFiciqnq27_HCwUgKepNygwBppkfz6qo5TYxc5QWqnUBMHD_dVcaAzmSzmE/s1600/P1100056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_a1DiX8CfdgeuBHisKV6pcgNgKnO7FJWBb8nY0H-mVxl4KY4jIPFrmBxq_yj9vy7onyOtZNn75PwtSvlcFiciqnq27_HCwUgKepNygwBppkfz6qo5TYxc5QWqnUBMHD_dVcaAzmSzmE/s320/P1100056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I like the asymmetry, and the way that the knots create a frame that makes a long pin make sense visually. It also works as a component of more complex wraps.<br />
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I'm thinking- maybe a tutorial. What do you think?Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-27032852375922391432016-01-25T14:15:00.003-05:002016-01-25T14:15:39.358-05:00Head Covering Source, Talmud Bavli, Nedarim 30b<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Translation significantly done by Sarah Mulhern, some additions by me. </span><br />
Text:</h4>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;">משחורי הראש - אסור בקרחין ובעלי שיבות, ומותר בנשים ובקטנים, שאין נקראין שחורי הראש אלא אנשים</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;">גמ'. מ"ט? מדלא קאמר מבעלי שער.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;">ומותר בנשים ובקטנים, שאין נקראין שחורי הראש אלא אנשים. מ"ט? אנשים זימנין דמיכסו רישייהו וזימנין דמגלו רישייהו, אבל נשים לעולם מיכסו, וקטנים לעולם מיגלו</span></div>
<br />
<h4>
Translation:</h4>
Mishnah: He who vows not to benefit from black-haired people may not benefit from bald people and gray haired people, but may benefit from women and children, because only men are called black haired.<br />
<br />
Gemara: What is the reason for this ruling? Since it did not say "from those who have hair" [therefore the bald- who might once have had black hair- are still forbidden]. <br />
"But may benefit from women and children" because only men are called black-haired. What is the reason? Men sometimes cover their heads and sometimes reveal their heads, but women's hair is always covered, and children are always bareheaded.<br />
<h4>
<br />Commentary:</h4>
<div>
This short text is a font of information about norms around head-covering in [at least some part of] the Talmudic period. The Gemara text, which is where things get interesting for us, begins as an inquiry into the reason behind a somewhat surprising ruling in the Mishnah- that if one vows not to gain benefit from black-haired people, one may not get benefit from men who are either black-haired or might once have been so (which makes hair color an identity that one retains even without hair... fascinating). <br />
<br />
The Gemara continues to elucidate that the reason that someone who has made this vow may still derive benefit from women and children is that women's hair is always covered, while children are always bare-headed- but neither gets called "black-haired". This makes more sense in relation to women than to children, but oh well... However, the sense in regard to women is that you can't be expected to identify them by hair color, since you will never see their hair or know its color. Interestingly, it says that All women have covered hair- seemingly even unmarried ones. (Admittedly, it seems highly unlikely that there were many never-married women at all.) It is only men who may or may not cover their head- both women and children have social expectations regarding their head/hair. <br />
<br />
This is very much a description of a social reality- there are Jewish communities (like our own contemporary community) where some women are bare-headed, and others (such as the Yemenite Jewish community, historically) where children of both genders also had covered heads. But the assumption that All women cover their hair, while only some men do, is an interesting perspective, in comparison with what we now presume. </div>
Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-21341057009736142942016-01-18T12:02:00.001-05:002016-01-18T12:02:58.699-05:00Devotional Head Covering Source: Kiddushin 8aTranslation courtesy of Sarah Mulhern, rabbinical student and friend.<br />
<h4>
<br />Text:</h4>
<div style="text-align: right;">
וכגון דקביל כהן עילויה; כי הא דרב כהנא שקיל סודרא מבי פדיון הבן, אמר ליה: לדידי חזי לי חמש סלעים. אמר רב אשי: לא אמרן אלא כגון רב כהנא, דגברא רבה הוא ומבעי ליה סודרא ארישיה, אבל כולי עלמא לא </div>
<h4>
Translation: </h4>
[What is the law in] a case where the priest accepts [an object of insufficient value in return for the redemption of a son] as happened in the case of R. Kahana, who accepted a scarf for a son's redemption, and said to him [the father],‘To me it is worth five selas.’? R. Ashi said: "This is only applicable in the case of a person like R. Kahana, who is a great man and needs a scarf /turban<br />
for his head, but not of people in general."<br />
<br />
<h4>
Comments:</h4>
<div>
This text refers to head covering only in passing, as part of a social reality. The focal point of the text is the question of how to handle an oddly done redemption of a firstborn son, which requires the use of a sum of 5 selas- usually this would involve 5 silver coins, contemporarily. This text raises the question of relative worth- if something is worth more to you (the receiver) than it is normally, could it count? The answer seems to be "Yes, but no"- in theory, it could, but we don't really want to go there. <br />
<br />
However, the example is what makes this text relevant to our question. The example is used to indicate that the specifics here make the results of this case is not generally transferable- because Rav Kahana is a particularly important person, therefore he needs a turban. This suggests that turbans at least are a marker of social status, rather than of religiosity or piety. (I notice that in stories that talk about head covering as piety in the Talmud, the covering is either of non-specific style or is a robe worn over the head, rather than being a turban.) <br />
<br />
Turbans (much) later become the usual covering for men in most of the Middle East, but I'm not sure when that happens. </div>
Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-47973334177867092452016-01-12T12:22:00.001-05:002016-01-12T12:28:45.447-05:00Devotional Head Covering, Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 118bTranslation courtesy of Sarah Mulhern, a talented friend and rabbinical student at Hebrew College.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Text:</h4>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;">אמר רב נחמן: תיתי לי דקיימית שלש סעודות בשבת. אמר רב יהודה: תיתי לי דקיימית עיון תפלה. אמר רב הונא בריה דרב יהושע: תיתי לי דלא סגינא ארבע אמות בגילוי הראש. אמר רב ששת: תיתי לי דקיימית מצות תפילין. ואמר רב נחמן: תיתי לי דקיימית מצות ציצית </span></div>
<h4>
<br />Translation:</h4>
R. Nahman said: "May [reward] come to me for observing three meals on the Sabbath." R. Yehudah said: "May [reward] come to me for observing focus in prayer. R. Huna son of R. Joshua said: May [reward] come to me for never walking four cubits bareheaded. R. Sheshet said: May [reward] come to me for fulfilling the commandment of tefillin. R. Nahman [also] said: May I be rewarded for fulfilling the commandment of tzitzit.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Commentary:</h4>
This passage connects statements from various rabbis that indicate that the fulfillment of certain practices deserves reward. The collection seems united by the phrase "<span style="text-align: right;">תיתי לי</span>", especially since there is no pttern or unity in the sages' era- they come from several different generations of Amoraim.<br />
<br />
First, this implies that doing so is unusual and/or difficult. Second, the combination suggests that all have some shared value. However, some are clear, d'oraita (from the Torah) mitzvot- tzitzit, tefillin. (One wonders that these were seen as deserving of particular praise- it says Something about how little the Jewish people may have changed over time.) Others are pietistic practices/abilities- maintaining focus in prayer, and not going bare-headed. Yet focus in prayer is really part of the mitzvah of prayer- the best way to fulfill the mitzvah, possibly the only way. Whereas head-covering is only piety, not a mitzvah at all...<br />
<br />
The obvious connection (to me at least) is that these are difficult and/or unusual practices which the rabbis would like to encourage- yet in this context go no further than saying that they will bring eventual reward. Not exactly a statement of requirement in regards to head-covering, but the way that the statements have been brought together by their common structure begins to give it a weight that it does not have on its own.Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-60804697297459084572015-12-30T19:17:00.001-05:002015-12-30T19:17:45.921-05:00Devotional/Men's Head Covering Source: Pesachim 111bThanks for the translation in this post go to Sarah Mulhern, rabbinical student and a friend of mine. Commentary (and any blame) is, of course, mine. <br />
<br />
Text:<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
ההוא בר קשא דמתא דאזיל וקאי גבי זרדתא דהוה סמיך למתא, עלו ביה שיתין שידי ואיסתכן. אתא לההוא מרבנן דלא ידע דזרדתא דשיתין שידי היא, כתב לה קמיע לחדא שידא. שמע דתלו חינגא בגויה, וקא משרו הכי: סודריה דמר כי צורבא מרבנן, בדיקנא ביה במר דלא ידע ברוך אתא </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Translation: </div>
<div>
A certain town-officer went and stood by a bush near a town, whereupon he was set upon by sixty demons and his life was in danger. He then went to a scholar who did not know that the bush was haunted by sixty demons, and so he wrote a one-demon amulet for it. After, he heard how the demons suspended a harp on the tree and [mocked him] singing: ‘The man's turban is like a scholar's, yet we have examined him and found that he does not know "Baruch Atah".’</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Comments:</div>
<div>
This source is very much aggadah: story, rather than halakha. Obviously, the story is full of folk beliefs of the time- demons and amulets. But it tells us something about what wearing a turban indicated socially in the time. Namely, it was a marker of status, and seemingly, intellectual status. It wasn't what every man wore- and wearing one in this case was viewed as pretentiousness for the "scholar" in this piece of aggadah. <br /><br />Obviously, head covering doesn't have any of the same connotations now- although I've heard similar sorts of reactions to the relative "frumkeit" of how people dress. </div>
Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-46696552630199640762015-12-30T09:46:00.002-05:002015-12-30T09:46:19.106-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A couple photos from a few weeks ago. Deeper content in progress. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsPwwHuSfultqhMzHckKOnAxOCCWm54ULleBJ8ap4pGzhWVsYU9HXRA5Spj7tEDCN-1ObWkhI_Qu6goZ-fa08yByDL-En1ma-Y31Oumek8_XDbQ-nhlYLSDv0M3x3tPaiZydw9KTmemI/s1600/PC060059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsPwwHuSfultqhMzHckKOnAxOCCWm54ULleBJ8ap4pGzhWVsYU9HXRA5Spj7tEDCN-1ObWkhI_Qu6goZ-fa08yByDL-En1ma-Y31Oumek8_XDbQ-nhlYLSDv0M3x3tPaiZydw9KTmemI/s320/PC060059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The scarf was a gift from a friend- and filled a gap in my "wardrobe", as I had nothing of that sort of vibrant pink. The criss-cross is a pair of headbands. The scarf slipped back a little- they show a bit more than I'd originally planned. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO9DuSG2Si_WlcMGyBMOfQWS3q3frqzEnyxRnL-iujyZ05wQPFQU1SMsCTgxSTO0Oz6kb_s1BWRfsuA0WzR7lO0SbOjS2LqQsqSIqBJb0kBZEbFF_Yz-Q_UuPPq_jGTVM377-8E9f01Y/s1600/PC060057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOO9DuSG2Si_WlcMGyBMOfQWS3q3frqzEnyxRnL-iujyZ05wQPFQU1SMsCTgxSTO0Oz6kb_s1BWRfsuA0WzR7lO0SbOjS2LqQsqSIqBJb0kBZEbFF_Yz-Q_UuPPq_jGTVM377-8E9f01Y/s320/PC060057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-20252638438779746592015-12-14T12:59:00.001-05:002015-12-14T12:59:49.310-05:00I'm Back Again. Hoping to Stay Back, This Time.It's been a long time quiet here, but once again, I'm making a stab at getting the shutters open and content coming out. I'll start with a few photos from a while ago, then start adding more serious content. I have a few things that need to be copied out that were shared with me a while back, and some amazing source sheets to work from, courtesy of a wonderful friend and scholar who did some teaching on the topic of head covering at Pardes recently. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4LX03dS9HkUsXlnEFgn24u6llFwz-sKky5ErAGUuX5t4MuVsRl-IKqQsmfhPZy5wGwRauZhtrINSnGD-1w7C4juAkSlUMzmwVFaGSsVvv6jlUXqlaB2kOxN46jrxenHuBvpTHm9_V18/s1600/PA210027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI4LX03dS9HkUsXlnEFgn24u6llFwz-sKky5ErAGUuX5t4MuVsRl-IKqQsmfhPZy5wGwRauZhtrINSnGD-1w7C4juAkSlUMzmwVFaGSsVvv6jlUXqlaB2kOxN46jrxenHuBvpTHm9_V18/s320/PA210027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This was an experiment with asymmetrical styling. On one side, a braid. On the other, a knot. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf44xZw5P-zS9xYKMa0g433LGyBiAaVNMkzRxf9pgoM-KQtISHgoayRzk7JmSGJ4nWD9UcOB7r945Hr28-SiQIbTN9La2jJEKZO4TLrrIHscP7HWBRF0vCVQafzQmkLpWkxa1usYE07k/s1600/PA210030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf44xZw5P-zS9xYKMa0g433LGyBiAaVNMkzRxf9pgoM-KQtISHgoayRzk7JmSGJ4nWD9UcOB7r945Hr28-SiQIbTN9La2jJEKZO4TLrrIHscP7HWBRF0vCVQafzQmkLpWkxa1usYE07k/s320/PA210030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
It didn't stay up very well- the materials were too slippery. I'm not sure if it will be a continued experiment or not. We'll see. Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-90467971504575263552015-10-12T21:03:00.002-04:002015-10-12T21:03:42.982-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD-KKbyQ9cEGfk0ew2ZDwchZdCZU_qLOoG0gHywJsMvDu2qpAcLnRpV07mCfR32VOdT3XOWt9OMyrbEvNqTfcWv_szHCoZWoQL5NvCayPs1gjgHzpXNk4ekpW96Ga8OfKgRZyiHo7-bQ/s1600/PA080062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD-KKbyQ9cEGfk0ew2ZDwchZdCZU_qLOoG0gHywJsMvDu2qpAcLnRpV07mCfR32VOdT3XOWt9OMyrbEvNqTfcWv_szHCoZWoQL5NvCayPs1gjgHzpXNk4ekpW96Ga8OfKgRZyiHo7-bQ/s320/PA080062.JPG" /></a></div>
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Finally, a photo (or a few), complete with small (but no longer tiny) photo-bomber, who is rather fascinated by cameras. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81HUjeu7W0-wcYwMtbfh_ueoJyyKaNKk1t0qg35sDn0osdbTB6BFvY22Vyga0CSwWsY1M1fyCdcO8Qlv9NW67LCakYMJAI0x7_XtnxlcoCfGdVOcbk1mCMCkELX0HzdwoasmT8Roeqs0/s1600/PA080065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81HUjeu7W0-wcYwMtbfh_ueoJyyKaNKk1t0qg35sDn0osdbTB6BFvY22Vyga0CSwWsY1M1fyCdcO8Qlv9NW67LCakYMJAI0x7_XtnxlcoCfGdVOcbk1mCMCkELX0HzdwoasmT8Roeqs0/s320/PA080065.JPG" /></a></div>
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The wrap is one scarf with the ends tied a bit over one ear, then one end left long, with the other twisted and coiled to make a "flower". I used an alligator clip with a bow on it to secure the coil. </div>
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As you can see, it is very serious business. No time for smiling. </div>
Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-58520341316406307002015-08-23T19:29:00.001-04:002015-08-23T19:32:07.701-04:00Pain From Head-Covering: Halakha and ReactionThe OU recently published this <a href="https://www.ou.org/life/inspiration/headaches-and-head-coverings/">piece on halakhic considerations when one has significant pain as a result of head-covering</a>. I haven't had the time to look at every one of the sources used and how the author, Rabbi Alex Ozar, uses them- but I'm also a parent with limited time, and don't want to wait until I can do so. So here's my reactions as a person educated on the issue, but not currently responding to the halakhic process of the piece. (I'd be open to guest authors who are interested in doing so- either to support, critique, or add, if anyone has the time and interest...)<br />
<br />
The opening of this piece is thoughtful, spiritually aware, and reflective. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">"Though spoken of rarely in public forums and still less in the </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">beis</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">medrash</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">, the amount of physical distress sustained in devotion to the head-covering obligation by a substantial number of people is empirically, emphatically non-negligible."</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">"That the practice is identity-defining and spiritually foundational for so many – that the stakes are so high – only deepens the need for thoughtful attunement and response."</span></blockquote>
This strikes me as a serious manner of approaching the topic, respectful of the issue as one that does speak to people's use of it as an identity marker, rather than diminishing the topic because it is 'just clothing' or even 'just a women's issue'. I have to say, I was charmed by the opening. <br />
<br />
The research into realia was done via internet fora, but well, this is 2015. And it is effective in gathering information. I wonder which fora he looked at, especially since many of the spaces where I've seen such things mentioned are explicitly women's spaces. Or maybe he asked a woman to find such comments and ask if they could copy them and share those comments with him... <br />
<br />
A general outline of the halakhic argument is as follows:<br />
1. Any situation that causes pain preventing normal functioning can qualify one as a choleh she'ein bo sakanah (one ill with a non-life-threatening illness).<br />
2. Halakha does/can think preventatively, as is done in allowing leniencies to prevent one from becoming ill due to extreme cold (i.e. Ashkenazi poskim allow asking a non-Jew to build up/start a fire for you, even Before you become ill from the cold.)<br />
3. Sufficiently bad headaches can be bad enough to bring you to this point of difficulty functioning.<br />
4. Once we are handing the category of choleh she'ein bo sakanah, there are leniencies we can invoke. There are different leniencies depending on what category of prohibition or obligation that we're talking about.<br />
4a. We allow leniency in different ways for biblical prohibitions, rabbinic prohibitions, and obligations- more leniency as this list goes on. <br />
5. Establish how head-covering stands in terms of categories of halakhic prohibitions and requirements. <br />
5a. Halakha around head-covering for married women has to do with location/publicity- the more public, the stricter the prohibition on showing hair/going bareheaded. <br />
6. There is likely room for leniency in some situations, starting with the least public areas paired with partial covering, and moving "outward" from there, depending on the situation- but exact details aren't discussed, nor is and actual psak given. <br />
<br />
The conclusion is, well, inconclusive-<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">"Those for whom head-covering entails substantial physical distress should, in conversation with their families, communities, and rabbis, think through the degree of pain they sustain and whether it impedes their capacity to live their daily lives. If it does, they may consider whether certain of their regular, regularly problem-causing environments – their home, backyard, car, low-traffic office – qualify as places in which the head-covering obligation may be </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">d-rabanan</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px;">; the factors involved may include the number of people present, the number of people liable to become present, whether or not it is indoors, and whether it is controlled and familiar. Given that determination, it may then be considered whether the head-covering obligation ought to be relaxed – employing a less constricting method, covering less – or suspended long enough to alleviate or prevent undue pain."</span></blockquote>
I wish that this conclusion had come down a little closer to "although I believe that each situation should be discussed with one's own rabbi, in certain situations, x, y, and z can be halakhically valid decisions"- this ending feels a little insipid or perhaps even lacking in courage, to me. It is closer to that than it sounded upon first reading, but I would still like this conclusion to read like the conclusion of a teshuva (which the body of the piece does read like), rather than shifting gears. <br />
<br />
Something feels missing to me, at the end of the day, but I'm not sure what. It is a reasonable halakhic approach to the problem, but somehow- maybe there's something conceptual missing? Another halakhic concept? Some focus on realities? The sociological realities that people might deal with, when making the decision? I wish I knew. Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-12098406971191992962015-06-21T10:53:00.004-04:002015-06-21T10:53:42.816-04:00Quick LinkJust a quick link to <a href="http://www.thejc.com/judaism/judaism-features/137935/head-scarves-why-frum-women-have-got-wrapping">another piece where a woman writes about her feels about scarves, wigs, etc</a>.Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-47588403143423698862015-06-08T10:49:00.002-04:002015-06-08T10:49:45.854-04:00Reaction to a Reflection on Head Covering<br />
A <a href="http://tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/163782/orthodox-woman-many-hats?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=post&utm_content=An+Orthodox+Woman+Wears+Many+Hats%3A+How+To+Blend+In+While+Standing+Out&utm_campaign=june2015">charming and thoughtful personal account of one woman's journey with head covering of various sorts</a>.<br />
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A couple of highlights, for me:<br />
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<div style="border: 0px; color: #343434; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
I was the little girl in the large, floppy hat.</div>
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It was called my “<em>davening</em> hat,” and I wore it dutifully every morning during prayer services as a child. Even though I was raised in an Orthodox home, my parents sent me to a Conservative day school starting in kindergarten, and I did quite a few things differently at school than I did at home.</div>
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All students, girls included, were required to wear <em>kippot</em>during our school prayer services. This upset me on several levels. First, I did not want to wear what I recognized so distinctively to be boys’ clothing; gender difference was a particularly sensitive issue when I was at an age when cooties were still relevant. But more than that, I did not like the idea of some obscure (and apparently fickle) religious authority instructing me what I should or should not wear on my head. A healthy spirit of defiance beginning to stir, I went to see the principal, my 5-year-old self sitting across from him at his handsome oak desk, my feet not nearly touching the floor.</div>
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Together we came up with an ingenious solution: I could wear a hat instead. But even though we had shaken hands on the idea, my small palm getting lost somewhere in the conciliatory gesture, my flower-emblazoned pink sun hat made me feel silly in the reverent pews of the school sanctuary. The deceptively cheery flower perched front and center did not match the gloomy pout persevering underneath. I felt uncomfortable. The hat made me look different and strange—a blaring sign that a disgruntled kindergartener was flouting communal norms.</div>
</blockquote>
This is both a familiar experience for me (without it even involving a separate piece of clothing) and something I both fear and expect for my daughter. How do I bridge the gap between our family's practice and a world that has smaller and more separate "boxes"? I grew up often feeling different, and it was hard- but it also made me who I am, in ways that I now think were worth it. It's an on-going question. But I appreciated this story. <br />
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Ans skipping to the author's adulthood, newly married:<br />
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<span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">But when I one day chose to wrap a colorful Israeli scarf around my head, similar to the ones my mother always wore, my head covering signaled to the world that I was different. While my teenage-self had blanched at the idea, my adult self wore the look proudly. My scarf was an external sign of oneness with my community.</span></blockquote>
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No head covering is arbitrary—every detail, to the carefully trained eye, is significant.</div>
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For me, however, covering my head has evolved from an attempt to appease my community into an effort to <em>belong</em> to my community.</div>
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In other words, a head covering is a symbol of identity- and only feels right if it aligns you, in your own vision, with your perceptions of yourself and who you see as your community. <br />
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Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-25525579721775800502015-06-05T11:30:00.002-04:002015-06-05T11:30:55.620-04:00A Link, As An Easy ReturnI came across this short illustrated guide to Hasidic women's head-coverings, and thought t would be a good way to get back to posting here...<br />
<br />
Here it is: <a href="http://www.visithasidim.com/blog/a-list-of-hasidic-female-headgears-with-illustrations">Shpitzels, frisettes, sheitls, and more</a><br />
<br />
I'm interested in the differences between the various sorts of small amounts of false hair that are delineated here- especially how restrained false hair is labeled so differently from loose false hair. I'd love photos as well as the illustrations, but they do make the differentiation very clear. I partiularly love the note at the end, about wigs: "The last is considerate very liberal headgear in Williamsburg, and women are often asked not to enter a synagogue uncovered."<br />
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In the meantime, I've added a new blog project that has been getting a bunch of my attention during the little one's naps- <a href="http://www.nursingatshul.wordpress.com/">Nursing At Shul</a>, where I'm putting out information that people share with me about breastfeeding in the synagogues they go to. <br />
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I've been camera-less for a while, but it has recently been restored to me, so hopefully we'll be back in business" with both photos and textual content. <br />
<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-64784569167467003532015-01-29T09:50:00.000-05:002015-01-29T09:50:12.778-05:00Halakha of the Toupee, Part 2<br />
R. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Feinstein">Moshe Feinstein</a> (<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986</span>) comments on the halakhic permissibility of toupees, and on their interactions with tefillin. <br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">מי שקרח ראשו אם מוטר להניח שערות זרות ודינם בענין חציצה בתפילין</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-07cd849d-a630-6fa4-3b5a-adb2733efe6b"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">אני לא שמעתי ששייך דבר כזה שלמי שקרחו שערותיו יהיה שייך שיצמחו שם שערות זרות שיניחו על הראש, ואם איכא דבר כזה היה זה דבר מותר לעשות, ולענין חציצה לתפילין קודם שנצמחו אין זה חציצה כיון שאי אפשר לחסירם וכל מי שאין לו שערות לא יסירם, ואם ליכא דבר כזה אבל הוא רק דביקת השערות זרות להגוף ע”י דבק נמי כיון שכן ישאר לעולם ורוצה בזה לא יחצוץ לתפילין, ואם הוא פאה נכרית שיכול להסיר בכל עת שרוצה אף שהוא לנאותו שהוא בוש מלגלות ראשו בבהכ”נ יניח את של ראש בלא ברכה וכשיבא לביתו יגלה ראשו ויניח תפילין בברכה</span></div>
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Translation:<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Someone who is bald: Whether it is Permitted to Wear False Hair, and the Law in the Matter of חציצה and Tefillin.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1c6eb8b6-892d-88da-c074-14140d5d3ddd"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have not heard that a thing like this is possible for someone who has lost their hair- that foreign hair that they place on their head will then grow there, but if there is such a thing, it is permissible to do. As for the matter of separation (חציצה) for tefillin before they [the hairs] are grown, this is not a separation since it is impossible to remove them, and anyone who does not have hair does not remove them. And if there is no such thing, but rather he just attaches the foreign hair by means of glue, similarly, since they remain forever, and he wants them- they are not a separation (</span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">חציצה</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">) for tefillin. And if it is a wig that he can remove at any time that he wants, even if it is for aesthetic purposes, and he is embarrassed to reveal his head in the synagogue, he may put on the head-tefillin without a blessing, and when he gets home, he reveals his head and puts on the tefillin with a bracha. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Commentary: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first thing that I noticed, in this teshuvah, is that one may delay putting on tefillin in the proper way in order to pray with a minyan without embarrassment (בושה). I would then suggest that this is even more so the case when the issue one is dealing with is tzniut/communal standards rather than individual embarrassment without many religious implications. [A little research into textual views of baldness reveals Mishnah Bechorot 7:2, which disqualifies a totally bald kohen (without even a fringe around the edge of the head) from service in the Temple and Bava Kama 60b, where there is the story of a man with two wives- one plucks out his dark hair and the other plucks out his white hair, leaving him bald. However, these don't give a strong implication of shame or inappropriateness about the baldness itself, although the first does cast it as a מום, an imperfection of the body.]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So a woman who does not want to reveal enough of her hair to put on tefillin with all the relevant pieces of the tefillin touching her hair/head directly could put them on over her covering, as long as she put them on without it either before or afterward, in private. Even when one is comfortable showing that much hair (not actually all that much hair if one is wearing a scarf, once you've practiced a little bit- but plausibly a little more than a tefach according to R. Soleveitchik (the two-finger measure, rather than the four-finger measure... I should really find out where he writes that and share it here, at some point.)), getting the tefillin around one's covering can be complicated, depending on style. The chance to just not worry about it and put on tefillin without the whole arrangement (in my case, with a kippah or cap instead of a scarf) gives an additional option for managing one's day, and for praying in public on a weekday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It also presents an interesting and surprising interaction between one's feelings and one's halakhic obligations. Now I don't Like davening in the morning without my tefillin, but have definitely put them on before davening, then taken them off and gone to shul, when there's a reason for me to go to a shul/minyan where it would be uncomfortable for me and for the people around me for me to wear them. This is a pretty similar circumstance, and R. Moshe seems quite comfortable with the situation. It's a model of handling conflicting needs- everything gets fulfilled, just with some delay. It is significant because it treats emotional needs as halakhically significant, in justifying non-ideal mitzvah fulfillment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's more remarkable because it's letting someone look like they're fulfilling a mitzvah when they are not, and plausibly runs into an issue of marit ayin. That issue would be more significant for someone wearing a scarf, since a toupee might not be known to be a toupee, while a scarf is obviously not a part of the person. That does detract from my comfort in apply R. Moshe's teshuvah for wearing a tichel with tefillin. It would work better for someone wearing a wig, (who would likely need it more- I don't know how one would manage a wig and tefillin at the same time in a kosher manner). </span><br />
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Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4071304112668222239.post-78026126373024597182015-01-14T18:11:00.001-05:002015-01-14T18:11:59.252-05:00A Link And Thoughts About Partial Covering<br />
Finally, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O-Myq1NXRY">a tutorial I can share that involves partial covering</a>. I should make some of these, but haven't had a chance, and don't know when I will- so it's very exciting to be able to share someone who is thinking about partial covering and sharing some methods. Also, she uses a ribbon, which is a favorite decorative strategy of mine (as you've seen in the past).<br />
<br />
I generally cover all my hair. But a lot of my friends and peers cover partially- it's an approach that I'm still looking for more sources about (I have some, but they're long, so I haven't gotten to translating and reacting for the blog yet). There aren't many tutorials online for how to do so though. Most of the folks I see wear hats, or the "standard" Israeli/Pirate-style (I look like a pirate in it, although it flatters many other folks quite well)- meaning a triangle with the ends tied over the back corner and all left to hang, with hair showing below it. <br />
<br />
However, most of the more elaborate styles are actually pretty adaptable for leaving hair showing. It's just a matter of leaving the back open, and pulling the hair through (basically, tying the scarf underneath the hair, then not closing off the back)- especially easy with rectangular scarves, where it barely makes a difference. As long as you aren't aiming for something that needs/is aided by a volumizer (something I still haven't acquired), it's all nearly the same. But there's no one there to show you how to do it, nearly- except this one video, which is much more elaborate than many styles require. Nevertheless, it is something, and worth the sharing. <br />
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I believe in options being available, and a plurality of style options make any practice more appealing, since with more options, one is more likely to find one (or more) that suits your own taste and appearance. I do wonder what it is about wrapping elaborately that seems to appeal mostly to those invested in very complete coverage.<br />
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<br />Maya Resnikoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00251303621825787312noreply@blogger.com0