From the Rav’s Desk: May women wear pajama pants?

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  1. Question: [Sunday, 23rd Adar, 5781]

Are women allowed to wear pajamas with pants? Or only dresses?

Answer:

It is permitted and even encouraged, for women and girls to wear women’s pajama pants under a nightgown while they are in the privacy of their bedroom. It should not be worn without a nightgown.

Explanation: In general, it is forbidden for women to wear pants due to both the both being immodest as well as due to the prohibition of a woman wearing a man’s garment. Now, regarding the latter prohibition we find within the Poskim various opinions as to when it applies, and if it applies to pants that are made specifically for females, and if it applies if it is worn under a garment, such as to protect from the cold, and is thus not visible, and practically the final directive on this subject is to be stringent with exception to the privacy of the bedroom when it is customary even amongst G-d fearing Jews to permit and even encourage girls to wear female pajama pants under a nightgown for the sake of extra modesty and or to protect from the cold.

Sources: See Avnei Tzedek Y.D 73 https://shulchanaruchharav.com/halacha/women-wearing-pantspajamas/

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.

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