Wigs – Huge False Alarm

     There is an enormous outcry within the religious community claiming that Jewish women cannot use wigs as the Hair in the wigs may have been offered up to an idol and is therefore forbidden. This claim is "substantiated" by wig-makers who say that no matter where the hair is bought there is no way of knowing where it originated. This means that there is a chance that the hair in your wife's wig was donated to a god in a Hindu Temple, and according to the rabbis who are warning about this, that wig is forbidden to be used.

     Here are the facts as far as I know. The Hindu women wanting to get their god to answer their prayers go to a Hindu temple and donate their hair. It is cut off by a temple barber and the hair is sold to wig-makers for its monetary value and the temple uses the money as it sees fit. For the temple this is a substantial source of income, even millions of dollars. Note that the hair is not donated to be used on the idol or to be used as a sacrifice to the idol, but is donated solely for its monetary value.

      Some people in India have complained that the temples make millions of dollars and the women do not get even one penny. Temple officials have defended their decision to sell the hair, arguing that the hair would otherwise be thrown away, but the money the temple earns from the hair sales can be used to fund orphanages and hospitals.

     "For example, with the money we received in exchange for the hair we financed children's education by building schools. We distributed approximately 30,000 free meals every day for the poor and needy, and we have built hospitals to cure those who, otherwise, could never afford such expensive treatments," said a director at the Tirumala temple.

     If this is in fact the reality, then that donated hair is not forbidden as a sacrifice to an idol.

     There are different levels or types of holiness and tumah (spiritual uncleanliness). When something fitting to be offered up in our Holy Temple was given to the Temple as a sacrifice that animal or wine or flour attained the status of kedushat ha-guf (holiness of its body). This means that that item itself became holy and even if it were somehow sold or transferred to someone it would still maintain that level of holiness.   

     As opposed to this, if something unfit for an offering, such as a deer or a broom was given to the Temple, this was given as bedek habayit i.e. given for the use of the Temple.

     When the Temple sold that item the holiness would leave the item and go onto the money that the Temple received in its place. This means that that item could be used however its new owner wished to use it. This second type of offering more parallels the Hindu donation of hair. The hair is given only for its monetary value or to be thrown away and not to be used in their temples.

     Assuming all of these facts are indeed true, particularly that the cut hair is used solely for its monetary value or thrown away, then the donated hair that might end up in a Jewish woman's wig would cause no problem at all. Its tumah left it when the temple sold it for money.

     When it comes to halacha (Jewish religious law) there are often many different opinions. In this case of the problem with wigs there are many learned rabbis giving their opinions, and almost all of them say that the wigs are forbidden. These posekim (Jewish law deciders) know more about Jewish law than I will ever know, so I place this article before them saying, if the facts are as I see, then it seems that the conclusion I have stated, that the wigs are not contaminated with the idolatry, is the proper conclusion.

     I am sure if they object I will hear about it.