I am an unmarried woman who has never been married and who follows the rulings of Chacham Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory. I recently learned that Chacham Ovadia Yosef, of blessed memory, held that Sephardic unmarried women should wear a head covering when praying, reciting a blessing, and, I believe, also when studying Torah. I would like to know more details about this—for example, how much hair is expected to be covered, whether a simple headband suffices, since the hair is not (yet) considered ervah.
Shalom u’vracha, According to Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, an unmarried woman should cover her head when praying, reciting blessings, reading Tanach, and engaging in other Torah study. During prayer this is more obligatory, since she stands before the King. Although one should not protest against women who are lenient in this matter, as they have authorities upon whom to rely, nevertheless, ideally they should be stringent in this regard. Most of the head must be covered, and there is no concern if hair extends at the sides, in the front, or at the back, so long as most of the head is covered.
This response was translated automatically from Hebrew and has not yet been reviewed by a person. It may therefore contain inaccuracies and should not be considered a definitive reference.
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