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<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial>From: Micha Berger via Avodah <avodah@lists.aishdas.org><BR>:
... I would hope that the practice of these women, including the<BR>: wife of R.
Yosef Dov Soloveitchik would be respected, and not regarded<BR>: as
ignorance...[--Dr. Noam Stadlan]<BR><BR>To do that would be to disagree with her
husband.<BR><BR><BR>....There are other such quotes that make it clear that RYBS
disagreed with<BR>his wife's practice, but either didn't fight the issue or
didn't win.<BR><BR>-- <BR>Micha
Berger
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<DIV>A similar quote (third hand): Someone told me he once asked RYBS if a
married woman is obligated to cover her hair, and RYBS replied in a somewhat
sideways fashion, "You are not obligated to divorce her if she does not do
so."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>You have to understand that it was an era in which most American Jews were
throwing away the Torah with both hands. It was hard enough to find a wife
who was frum; demanding that she cover her hair was almost impossible in many
cases. RYBS was not the only Torah scholar whose wife failed to cover
her hair. I have to assume that this was simply one nisayon that was too
difficult, given those times. After the post-war influx of chassidim
arrived in America, kisui rosh, like so many other neglected mitzvos, became
much more acceptable and common.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>R' Michael Brody in his article on the subject says that the Chofetz Chaim
railed against the practice of women in Vilna, even those married to big
talmidei chachamim, to go about with their hair uncovered. Although the CC
is completely, vehemently, opposed to this practice, R' Brody deduces (I am
paraphrasing) that "This proves that many talmidei chachamim did not demand
that their wives cover their hair, from which we may deduce that they held kisui
rosh was not required, and we may rely on them." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This line of reasoning is reminiscent of the joke, "How do we know that
Yakov wore a yarmulka? Answer: It says 'Vayetzei Yakov' -- would
Yakov have gone out without a yarmulka?!" But at any rate it does indicate
that this was a largely neglected mitzva even in Vilna, in the early 20th
century -- though neglect of a mitzva does not make the obligation go
away.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I for one do not hold it against RYBS. What he would have preferred
and what was actually obtainable, in that time and place, were not the
same. For that time and place, for a woman to be Torah observant was
already a madreiga. To have been the wife of such a man -- his rebetzen
must have had extraordinary zechuyos.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><B><BR><FONT color=#0000ff>--Toby Katz<BR>t613k@aol.com</FONT><FONT lang=0
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