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<font size="-1"><font face="Arial">Hair Covering and Jewish Law:
Biblical and Objective (Dat Moshe) or Rabbinic and Subjective (Dat
Yehudit)?<br>
Rabbi Michael J. Broyde<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://traditiononline.org/news/_pdfs/0095-0180.pdf">http://traditiononline.org/news/_pdfs/0095-0180.pdf</a><br>
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Spoilers:<br>
Everything that I have written is meant only to justify the halakhic
practice of modest Jewish women. As a rabbi of little stature, I have
no intention of deciding halakhic practice for the entire community in
opposition to the rulings of the great decisors of our generation. I
only wish to point out that there are many Rishonim who rule that the
prohibition for married women to go with uncovered hair is a subjective
rabbinic violation dependent on societal norms of modesty(and dat
yehudit), not a biblical prohibition (and dat moshe). Women and
families who have a clear custom not to cover their hair should know
that there is a firm foundation for such a practice in the Rishonim and
Shulhan Arukh, even if such a view is rejected by the great Ahronim of
our day.<br>
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