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Burn the Shaytel

Our opinion is that shaytel's are prohibited in every shape and form and are a leading method of the Erev Rav to defile the nation of Yisroel.

There were certain leading Rabbis in the past who permitted the use of Shatyles. This was due to the fact that the Shatyles of those times were ugly and bore little resemblance to human hair. Many people wrongly use those opinions to justify their use of modern shatyles.

This article is to prove that even the Rabbanim who permitted shaytels in past generations would prohibit the shaytels used in current times. Below are quotes from well known Chareidi Rabbis in unified opposition against the use of modern shaytels.

The wigs in the past generations were very crude and often resembled foreign fur laying on the head. Today's wigs are created using very sophisticated technologies and look exactly like real hair. In addition to the realistic look  today's shaytels are often cut and styled to resemble the impure, immodest and inappropriate styles of modern culture.

Quotes from famous Charaidi Rabbis:

In the past when a woman wore a shaytel, it was noticeable to all, even from a distance that it was a wig. It had a look that resembled straw like fibers of flax. Today due to our great sins one can not differentiate if it is a wig or not. Therefore the wearing of shaytels is abominable in my eyes. This can be comparable to a person who makes every effort to make his food appear as if it were traif. In a similar way these women make every effort to make their hair appear as if it was not covered, therefore this is very disgusting in my eyes.

The opinions permitting the use of shaytels were only referring to shaytels that looked like goat hair. Today's shaytels make married women look single or as if  they walk around with an uncovered head, who permitted such a great act of pritzut?! This is chutzpah that goes outside all boundaries! Such a thing was never permitted by the Rabbis. It is not believable that any Rav or any G-d fearing person would come to allow such an impure thing.

In Europe there were many women who refused to even wear a shaytel. The shaytels of those days looked like a crude glob of hair, the wigs of that generation were ugly and much worse than hair.

Even t he most sophisticated wigs sixty years ago that were found in the modern city of Vienna, were recognizable from a great distance. From far away it could be seen that they were not natural hair. The daughters of Yisroel need to be extremely careful with the commandment of covering their head which is a D’oraysa. For then sake of the holiness of the souls of the Jewish nation they must be very Tznius. They must not, Heaven forbid wear the various modern wigs that are no different then walking with an uncovered head. Unfortunately due to our many sins, many women covering their hair do not look at all like a Charaidi women only like empty street woman. She does not look like a bas Yisrael and not like a wife of a ben torah instead she is like a daughter of Paris.

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky

The reason previous Rabbis permitted shaytels was because one could tell the difference. If one can not tell the difference he should be stringent.

When he was showed a number of modern shaytels he said “Such shaytels the permitting Rabbis were not talking about and the Poskim never argued about them. Shaytels that have the look of natural hair are prohibited due to Maris Ayin even the wigs that do not look fully natural, if due to their shape they cause men to look and have impure thought, the Rabbis of our generation must prohibit their use".

Mishnah Berurah brings down both opinions and did not conclude between the two. However in his sefer Geder Olam it is obvious that Mitpachat is preferable.

The Chazan Ish and the Steipler

Preferred the use of a Mitpachat as is proven from the Staipels decision not to buy his daughters shatyles for their wedding. He also instructed Rabbi G’dalya Nadel student of the Chazan Ish against them.

The Brisker Rav

Preface the Mitpachat as testified to by his son Rabbi Dovid Saloveitchik in the name of his father “the heter of the Shaytel is very weak.”

Rabbi Menachem Shach

Preferred a Mitpachat as testified by many Talmidei Chachamim. He also insisted that his wife wears only a Mitpachat and not a Shaytel.

Opinion of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Aurbach as testified by his son Rabbi Shmuel Aurbach.

“My father wanted very much that the daughters of Yisroel will cover their heads specifically with a Mitpachat. He suffered great pain due when shaytels became wide spread throughout the jewish community.

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyshev

It is a clear thing that covering the head with a Mitpachat is far better then using a shaytel. Rabbi Elyashov blesses and strongly encourages all the women who make the change. He gave permission to spread his words “that today shaytels are horrible.”

Rabbi Nissim Karlitz

In a letter he write “To the pure daughters of Yisroel, fortunate are you that you sanctified the name of heaven. Our heart was very happy that many women accepted upon themselves to go back to the original tradition of the jewish nation and cover their head with a Mitpachat instead of a Shaytel, since most of the new shaytels do not meet the requirements of tznius.

Today Shaytels that are not kosher and Tznauah have become widespread. These arouse the Yetzer Hara even more then a woman's natural hair. Proof to this is that even non jewish woman wear them for style. It comes out that the whole reason the Torah commanded us to cover the hair for tzniut has become nullified. It seems clear that all the earlier Poskim that permitted the use of shaytel, would today completely retract their Heter and would surely implement a number of boundaries to prevent the use of these shaytels. The shaytels they did permit were not anywhere near the shaytels that exist now a days.

Conclusion:
The opinion of the leading Chareidi Rabbis is to use a Mitpachat and not a shaytel.

Here are a number of reasons to use a Mitpachat instead of a shaytel…

• One fulfills the opinions of many poskim that forbade the use of shaytels completely.
• It is easier to prevent hair from sticking out. Even if hair does stick out, the woman notices it and can fix it as opposed to wearing a shaytel where she does not even feel it. Even if some hair does stick with a Mitpachat it look ugly as opposed to a shaytel where it adds to the beauty, thereby and brings about the course of the Zohar.
• A woman will be saved from wearing modern shaytels that are completely forbidden according to halacha under every opinion.
• A person will be save from the sever sin of Avodah Zarah which is very common in shaytels. The Rabbis already warned that the Hechsharim on the shaytels claiming they are free of Indian Idolatry are very shaky.
• Wearing a Mitpachat prevents a Chiulul Hashem when non religious people see Charadim with shaytels that are nicer then natural hair. They understand from this that the Torah can be bent according to personal lusts and desires.
• Mitpachats are much cheaper than shaytels, give the extra money to tzaedaka.
• They are also more comfortable in the summer and the heat.

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