Head covering for a divorced woman
Question
Shalom u’vrachah, honorable Rabbi,
I am divorced and, thank God, I have a child.
I wanted to understand the severity of the obligation of covering the head.
Is it like for a married woman?
Or is it more lenient?
How careful do I need to be that not a single hair is visible?
Is there a difference in the halachic definition?
Answer
Shalom u’vrachah.
The obligation for a divorced woman to cover her head is the same obligation as for a married woman.
Source
Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer, siman 21, se’if 2
Jewish women shall not go in the marketplace with their heads uncovered, whether a single woman or a married woman.
The Beit Shmuel, se’if katan 5, and the Chelkat Mechokek, se’if katan 2, explained
the meaning of the word “single”: this refers to a widow or a divorcee, but a virgin is permitted.
It follows from here that the definition of the obligation is “a woman who has had marital relations,” and not “a married woman.”
