My Head Covering Story

I think it's about time to have a post on head coverings. Now, almost 4 months (!) after the wedding, I've been covering my hair partially or fully every day since the wedding.

Before Emet and I got married, I knew I wanted to cover my head. I spent time reading Jewish texts on the topic to determine my reason for covering and how much I was going to cover.

Jewish law requires that married women cover their hair. The origin comes from the Sotah ritual, a ceremony described in the Torah that tests the fidelity of a woman accused of adultery. In the ritual, the priest covers the accused woman's hair as part of the humiliation that precedes the ceremony (Number 5:18). From this, the Talmud concludes that under normal circumstances, women were required to cover their hair (Ketubot 72a).

The Mishnah in Ketubot (7:6) says that a woman appearing in public with uncovered hair (and talking to a man who is not her husband) is grounds for divorce and indicates that this violation is Dat Yehudit, which means Jewish rule, as opposed to Dat Moshe, which is typically considered laws from Moses. This difference in categorization suggests that hair covering is not an absolute obligation originating from Moses at Sinai, but instead is a standard of modesty that was defined by the Jewish community. Hence, the Talmud presents a compromise between Dat Moshe and Dat Yehudit with the law stating: minimal hair covering is a biblical obligation, while further standards of how and when to cover one's hair are determined by the community. The Talmud elsewhere says that uncovered hair is considered sexually erotic and prohibits men from praying in sight of a woman's hair.

From here, community standards have decided what type of head covering and how much. For example, some women cover a smaller section of their head, while other women completely cover their hair.

When I was researching types of hair covering and what I would be comfortable with, I also was thinking about WHY I wanted to cover my hair.

My reasoning for covering my hair:
1. A change in status: Covering my hair indicates that I have a change in status. I'm not single anymore.
2. To remember that there is always someone above me: HaShem and Emet are both present in my life in different ways. I think about my head covering as a way to remind myself that I am blessed every day and to remember Emet's needs.

Since I recognized that covering is not a facet of modesty for me, I determined that I don't have to cover my hair fully if I don't want to. I go back and forth between my head coverings, depending on the weather and my preference for that day. Lately, I've only worn a warm hat, which I don't take off when I'm not at home. It took my some time to master how to tie the head scarfs in a way that I liked, but I've got the hang of it now.

Some women cover their hair all the time, including in their home. I tend to uncover my head in my own home, but if we have lots of guests over, I will cover because it doesn't feel right otherwise.

I had never considered how it might make me feel to cover my head. I sometimes have dreams about leaving the house without my head covered and it feels so wrong!

I'm glad I decided to cover my hair. It helps me to connect to the past, and it keeps me grounded. I'm sure in the future, I'll change the way I cover my hair, either less or more depending on the time of year and how I'm feeling, and it feels right to me. Shabbat shalom!

Eating Well During the Holidays

You think this will be a post about how to eat well during the holidays, and in some ways you would be right, but in others, you would be very, very wrong.

It's hard to eat well. When you go to Chanukah parties and you are tempted by multiple servings of delicious latkes and sufganiot (jelly donuts).

When the only food they have for you is chocolate and latkes, you eat them. You're hungry and they are hard to resist. I mean, look at them. They are amazing, greasy, and tasty. I even had some latkes made out of carrots. Do you think I felt better eating those? For about 5 minutes.

I'm not suggesting to NOT eat them. In fact, Chanukah just isn't Chanukah without a latke, but I know when I've had my fill. And I've reached my limit.

I'm expecting to skip the latkes now. No more oil for me, thank you.

Changing Life Habits

It's been a while since the last blog post! Probably because Emet and I have been very busy with work, settling into Denver, a trip to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, and other things.

Our big initiative that we've been working on since the beginning of December is a natural cleanse. We've made the decision to only buy organic foods, reduce the products and cleaners in our home that contain harmful chemicals, and overall try to live a cleaner life. It's not without its difficulties, of course. Cost is a major concern of ours, and this month, we are tracking all expenses related to this. We've been tracking expenses since we got married with Mint.com, and now we're just making sure that going clean won't break the bank!

You might have heard about the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen. These are lists of produce that should be bought or avoided. While we are buying all organic produce, it's still very important to know about them. The Environmental Working Group ranks produce based on pesticide residue.

The following fruits and vegetables rank the highest for pesticide residue (Dirty Dozen):
1. Apples
2. Strawberries
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Spinach
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Nectarines - Imported
9. Cucumbers
10. Cherry Tomatoes
11. Snap Peas - Imported
12. Potatoes

Now, for the Clean 15 - those fruits and vegetables that retain the least amount of pesticides:
1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Cabbage
5. Sweet Peas - frozen
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Papayas
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Grapefruit
13. Cantaloupe
14. Cauliflower
15. Sweet Potatoes

The Clean 15 have the fewest pesticide residue, which means that it's possible to buy non-organic if you are worried. However, we figure - how much are we really saving if we buy these non-organic? A few dollars? We want to make sure that we are eating the best choices for our bodies and that's worth more than a few dollars. The complete list is available over on EWG's website.

Reducing your intake of pesticides and chemicals is proven to promote a healthier outcome in the long run, and that's what we are hoping for. All the chemicals contribute to illnesses and allergies. These chemicals and pesticides are things that our ancestors didn't have to deal with, and they suffered from significantly lower incidences of allergies and illnesses.

I have suffered from allergies since childhood, and because food allergies have increased dramatically since then, I want to make sure that I don't develop any more allergies, many of which have come about as a result of the pesticides and chemicals present in our food.

Emet has reactions to oats and wheat, so we are trying to eat more frequently a Paleo-Vegetarian diet. Emet will sometimes have kosher meat, but not too often. (I'm not trying to convert her to my vegetarian diet, I promise!) We have cut back our intake of breads and pastas, and we are focusing more on vegetables and beans. We all know I have a problem with sugar, so that is something we are also working to eliminate. Instead, we're eating more fruits, which is great for the digestive system!

With all these changes, we are working to plan our meals better, which I've found very difficult. What if I don't want a salad for dinner? Planning to have variety is most important so we don't get bored with our food. The more variety, the happier the belly.

In the future, we are hoping to phase out unnatural sunscreens, lotions, shampoo and body wash, and cleaning supplies by making our own! I'll keep you posted!