Before leaving for Jerusalem, I blogged about wearing wild wigs, not that I wear them, not even boring conservative ones. I have no doubt that life's a boat steered by G-d.
Today I didn't rush out of the house. I knew I was taking a risk, because it was after the "almost 9 bus," meaning that I had to trust that G-d would arrange a ride or two or more. Ever since we moved to Shiloh, a few weeks short of 29 years ago, I've been working on myself to have more faith and not be so hysterical about having to be early. "On time" was always late in my book.
Smiling and confident, I walked down to the bus stop. I had plenty of time to meet a friend for an early lunch or snack. Within a minute there was a ride part-way to Jerusalem. Less than two minutes after I got out of that car, another one showed up and the driver said that he was going to Talpiyot, a Jerusalem neighborhood with great shopping. I looked at my watch and began to calculate how much time I had and what did I really have to do.
Well, if G-d sent me a ride to Talpiyot, then obviously I had to go to Talpiyot. Who am I to question G-d's wisdom? As we got into the crowded maze of shopping streets there, I asked the driver to drop me off wherever it would be safe for him. G-d forbid he should be ticketed for doing me a favor. I found myself at the entrance to one of the small malls. I walked in very happily, since it has some great stores including a hat shop owned by neighbors. Of course I visited. G-d sent me, nu?
I was greeted with an enthusiastic hug, kiss and scolding from my neighbor:
"Why did you stop wearing hats?"
I was wearing a cheap bright orange, cotton scarf. She knows how much I love hats and was disappointed to see me in that awful thing. I had taken off my faded sun hat when I entered the building. Then of course I had to look around. I was only interested in the wide-brimmed sun hats, crushables, of course. I found one so reasonably priced and flattering that it seemed criminal not to buy it.
Wow! Two posts in one day about my favorite mitzvah, covering my hair!
And, yes, if you're wondering. I ended up only a couple of minutes late to see my friend, but that's because I entered two other stores in that building, but didn't buy anything else there.
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteI chose Ma'aynei HaYeshua (black-hat B'nei B'rak) when Devora was born. Among the reading material were a few pamphlets from an women's organization encouraging women to wear hats and scarves rather than wigs. (There were a few articles about general modesty as well.) You would have loved them. They were full of anecdotes from women who decided not to wear wigs for all of the reasons that you don't like wigs.
The purpose of a wig (other than those wild wigs that aren't exactly modest) is to look like real hair. How any rabbi can allow them unless a woman needs to wear one for work is beyond me.
That's interesting, since wigs are such big business.
ReplyDeleteHere, no job is beyond a hat for a woman, and men wear their sefira, 3 week and shloshim beards in all sorts of prominent jobs.
When I was first married, in NY, I was told to wear a wig. They didn't threaten me with losing my job, just wouldn't let me deal with the public, and that was the only part of the job I liked.
Not all women are like us and happy in our hats and scarves. That's shy wigs are allowed. Also not all men are willing for their wives to wear the hats and scarves. Yes, makes you wonder, but you know that many, if not most, people "compromise."
ReplyDeleteps, I was sure that I answered this comment...