Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Divorcee covering head

Igros Moshe (E.H. 04:032.4):Is it permitted for a divorcee to go with an uncovered head so that it isn’t obvious that she had been married? You are uncertain about a young divorcee who doesn’t want it known that she had been married by covering her She doesn’t want to deceive anyone and it is obvious that her status can be readily known from the records of City Hall. Rather her intent is that after a new prospective husband gets to know her and likes her to marry her then she will reveal the fact that she is a divorcee and thus won’t be viewed less favorably. However if this is known initially obviously no one will be interested in marrying her. So you want to know  whether this is permissible like I gave permission in the case recorded in  Igros Moshe (E.H. 57) regarding a widow who could not get needed employment  if she covered her head.I agree with you that it is correct to permit her since this constitutes  a genuine great loss if it prevents her from remarrying. It is not a Torah obligation for a divorcee to cover her head but only Jewish custom (Das Yehudis). However it is important to know that in a situation where there is no such concern she needs to cover her head because she does not have an absolute heter.  

1 comment:

  1. She has to find out at the beginning if he's a cohen
    Especially if it's one if those two dates and they're engaged, as is common in some charedi circles.

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