(continued)
Ha’Rav Ha’Gaon Shmuel Ha’Levy Vosner (a”h)
In his Sefer titled, Shevet Levi wrote words that should touch us deeply and inspire us to make a drastic change. He stated that we all have to strengthen ourselves when it comes to the subject of following in the ways of our avot, imahot and all those Rabanim who were moser nefesh so that there should not be even be a shinuy kal ba’emet – a small change in the truth of Torah Law. There should not be even a small modification when it concerns the truth.
He wrote that unfortunately in this generation of yeridah the sensitivity, the feeling and the responsibility for Kedushat Yisrael is fading away into oblivion. “Ve’ein doresh, ve’ein mevakesh.” There is no one who is demanding that the wrong be made right. There is no one who is asking us to correct the error. “Al mi lanu le’hisha’en? Al Avinu she’bashamayim. Who are we going to lean on if not our Father in Heaven?”
He writes that the fact that holy Jewish women can allow themselves to walk down the streets with hair on their heads that appears like their own hair, is a breach of modesty... Such a minhag of going into the public domain with a wig can cause a tremendous destruction in the ways of Jewish modesty.
He also wrote: “What benefit is a kosher Mezuzah if the impurity enters the Jewish home? A wig’s origin is from Tachtit Sheol (lowest levels). Unfortunately, we want to be Bnei Torah while simultaneously enjoying the modern world… Women need to cover their hair in the utmost modest way but unfortunately in many Jewish homes, many Jewish women have turned the halachah into a burden and many married women do not look religious. They don’t even look like they are married women…
Rav Chaim Kanievsky (shlit”a)
Rav Kanievsky who is accepted in all circles stated the following: “If it resembles human hair, it is true that it is a simple deduction that it is definitely forbidden, there is no difference of opinion.”
Rav Shalom Shvadron (a”h)
In one of his musar speeches he uttered very harsh words concerning this matter and said:
“… Who gave women permission to wear hair on top of their hair? To wear a wig that looks better than her own hair and it doesn’t even look like a wig! Twenty-four Poskei Ha’Dor in Eretz Yisrael alone forbid wigs. My grandfather ruled that Divrei Torah or even a blessing is forbidden to say in front of women who wears wigs. The only way Divrei Torah or a blessing can be said in such a situation is with closed eyes.
“Women with wigs light the Shabat candles Friday night and request things from Hashem. Oy vey, Gevald! She is praying to Ha’kadosh Baruch Hu with a wig on her head?... Who knows what Divine punishment is knocking on our door? Hashem have mercy on us.
“Why do women wear sheitels today? Is it to cover their hair? No. They do it in order to look more beautiful.”
Rav Shlomoh Zalmen Auerbach (a”h)
Rav Auerbach’s son in law said he once heard his father in law saying that when Mashiach comes the first thing he will do is abolish the use of sheitels.
Ha’gaon Ha’Rav Dan Segal (shlit”a)
Rav Don Segal would often say in his speeches, “Why are they [women] complaining that in the previous generations our women wore wigs? Is it not so that in the previous generations the wigs resembled steel wool, stubble, and straw?”
Rav Segal was once recorded saying the following in his speech: “…I personally heard from my teacher and Rebbi, Ha’Gaon Shelomo Zalman Auerbach (a”h), who was one of the world’s foremost poskim and Roshei Yeshivah… He said, ‘50 years ago the wigs looked like straw. Even a blind person was able to see that it was a wig. But today, I cannot know if a woman is covering her hair or not. For me this is very repulsive. It’s like someone who eats kosher meat but makes every effort for the meat not to look kosher. Women cover their hair and make every effort to appear as if their hair is not covered.’
“Who can afford to carry this sin? It is promiscuity. Many women want to cover their hair modestly but the bigger problem is that their husbands will not allow it. It’s not a simple time. We don’t need chas ve’shalom for Hashem to send us sharper and clearer messages. Hashem is already shaking up the world. We need to be modest as it states: ‘Kol kevudah bat melech penimah - the glory of the King’s daughter is found within.’ The main thing is modesty!.. What’s left for Ha’kadosh Baruch Hu? Who remains loyal to Hashem? Very few individuals! Who observes modesty? It’s like a father of whom all his sons betrayed him. If we, the religious Jews, do not observe the Torah and its mitzvot, what is left?”
