Halacha Course For Women to Explain Headcovering

By COLlive reporter

For most frum women preparing for their wedding day, shopping for hair coverings is top of their to-do list. Where to find the perfect wig? Scarves or snoods? How many of each? With all the millions of details that go into wedding planning, they have little time to spend on learning why they cover their hair. Once the wedding frenzy is over and they’ve settled into married life, many of these women want to know more.

Batsheva Learning Center, an organization that develops text-based courses for women, is launching a new course on the topic of Kisui Rosh this winter. The purpose is to give women a rich appreciation for the background and meaning of the halachos they practice every day.

“As a newlywed, I craved more depth and understanding than the basic halachos I learned in Kallah classes”, said Gavi Globerman, a participant in a past course of the Batsheva center. “We delved into the original sources for the laws of Niddah and traced it through Chumash, Gemara, Rambam and Chassidus.”

She said she is looking forward to registering for the Kisui Rosh course too. “The text-based learning was a refreshing challenge and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the development of halacha in general and this important mitzvah in particular.”

But these courses are not only intended for married women. Many single women are excited to join as well, whether it’s to get a head start on the halachos they’ll be practicing in the future or simply to gain a richer appreciation for the halachic process.

“Getting to learn the reasoning behind the complicated halachos of Niddah really gave me an appreciation for the day-to-day halachos that we keep,” said another course participant, Raizy Leitner. “It made me realize that they are not just random details, but the conclusion of a conversation that took place over thousands of years.”

The Hilchos Niddah course was developed by Menucha Schwartz, who has spent the last few months working on her next masterpiece – a text-based exploration of the mitzvah of hair covering. “Working on the Kisui Rosh course has been so enlightening for me. The hours I’ve spent researching, writing and discussing the content with rabbanim and educators has given me a completely new understanding of the topic. I can’t wait to give more women the opportunity to learn this!”

The 8–week course is being offered as live virtual classes on both Eastern and Pacific time zones. The students will each receive a sourcebook, which includes all the original sources they will be studying, plus lots of supplemental reading. They will also receive a workbook, which includes summaries, flowcharts, and background information to aid the students in studying the sources.

During each lesson, the students will get the chance to explore the sources on their own with a chavrusa, before regrouping to discuss it with the instructor. The curriculum includes dozens of sources from Gemara, Rishonim , Acharonim and the Rebbe’s teachings.

There is also an option for students to buy the textbook and sourcebook to study on their own or in a group. The course writer will be available to answer any questions these students have while learning.

Mrs. Rivky Kaplan from Tzfas, Israel, who is on Batsheva Learning Center’s advisory board, remarked, “This is the course I wish I had many years ago. It’s a must learn!”

To learn more or to register for the course, visit www.batshevalearningcenter.com/courses (There’s still time to catch the 15% early bird discount on the course, ending December 14!)