I recently emailed a Jewish friend and asked her why she covered… she has made a few covers for me and does lovely work. This is how we first met. So this was the response she sent me. I thought some of my Christian sisters would like a different perspective.
“I cover because every scriptural reference seems to point us both directly and indirectly in that direction! Since the fall of man, coverings were established for mankind. Women were clearly wearing coverings during the times of the Torah. Even if it is not written verbatim in the commandments that coverings must be worn, we can deduce that it is and was the proper thing to do because of the references made to it. Let’s remember that Yahweh gave the commandments to Moshe (Moses) on the mountain. The 10 commandments written on the stone tablets were merely an encapsulation of the commands that Yahweh taught to Moshe while he was on the mountain. Remember how long Moshe was up on the mountain? 40 days! During that time he learned the “specifics” of the law which is where the “oral Torah” or “traditions” have descended from. The oral teachings were/are the elaborations of the commandments as learned by Moshe and then taught to the people of Israel through the generations ever since. Head covering is clearly one of those “elaborations”. It is a multi-faceted practice. It symbolizes marital status. It symbolizes submission to headship (of both my husband and Yahweh). It is an act of making private my outer beauty so that the beauty of Yahweh may instead shine through me. It is an act of making that private outer beauty a special gift to my husband that only he gets to see. In that way, it is honoring to him. It is a declaration that I am not interested in enticing other men by my looks, because I am not available to them. It is a declaration that I do not define myself by how the people of this world view me. It is a sign that I am set apart from this world for a holier purpose. It is a declaration of my acknowledgement of the need for a sin covering. It is my constant reminder that Yahweh is above me and that I must lower myself in humility. It is a reminder to subdue pride in my life. It is a symbol of my commitment to and love for Yahweh that I am willing to lay down my own fleshly desires and wear the covering even when I feel like “going free” with my hair in the wind and “unbound” by restraint. It is a reminder that we must ALWAYS restrain the desires of the flesh and walk humbly and modestly with our God. For that is what Our Father wants from His daughters…and it is really a fulfilling pleasure. And after all is said and done, if you are desiring to please and serve Him and you still can’t decide whether or not you should be covering, ask yourself a couple of things:
1. Why do you suppose it was the norm for women to wear coverings up until only very recently in history? Do you suppose it is one of Hashem’s eternal truths being sustained throughout the generations because it is His will?
2. Who stands to lose the most: The woman who wears a covering when it isn’t required, or the woman who does not wear a covering when it IS required…?
You will never be disappointed when you go the extra mile in obeying Him because He Blesses those who obey (Deut. 28).
And that, as they say, is that.”
