Likkutei Torah Emor

The sages state that the hair of a married woman is an Erva, which is a source for nurture of evil and Kelipa. The reason for this is as follows: The female represents the aspect of energy that is invested within the worlds, as the divine energy that enters the world’s is from the attribute of Malchus, which is feminine in nature. Accordingly, hairs growing on this level are not beneficial at all as they contract the divine light to such a minute state that they become fodder for the side of evil and feed and nurture evil. [The divine light of Mimalei Kol Almin is already contracted enough for it to be on a level for it to be received by creations and for those creations to exist as independent entities which serve and are nullified to G-d. The nullification to G-d of the creations comes as the result of the revelation of G-dliness that exists within them from Mimalei Kol Almin. However, a further major contraction on the level of hairs of this already contracted level of Mimalei Kol Almin would cause the creations to receive such a minute amount of divine light, that not only would they feel themselves as independent entities, but would furthermore be completely self-centered and not submit themselves to G-d which is the definition of evil. It is for this reason that the hairs of a married woman must be covered, as if her hair were to be uncovered, it would give nurture to the side of evil. Nonetheless, we do not require her to shave her hair as did the Levites, as explained next, due to that a certain level of contracted severity is necessary for the basic existence of the side of evil.^[1]]

The hairs of the female aspect of Atzilus: The above-said damaging nature of having hairs grow from the feminine aspect, only applies when the feminine aspect descends below into the world of Beriya and onwards. However, so long as the feminine aspect remains in the world of Atzilus its hairs cause no damage and cannot become a source of nurture for the unclean forces of evil. This is due to the Parsa/curtain that exists between the world of Atzilus and Beriya which prevents the forces of evil from nurturing from the G-dliness in the world of Atzilus. In the world of Atzilus, the hairs are considered like they are frozen and cannot supply nurture to anyone. [This deep sounding Kabbalistic teaching perhaps sheds light on the following query relating to the obligation of a married woman to cover her hair. Why does this obligation only begin after marriage? If the problem and issue with a woman’s hair is the attractiveness of it, then it should need to be covered even when a woman a single prior to marriage. With regards to the modest covering of all of the other parts of the women’s body, the laws of modesty begin to apply from age 3, and there is no part of the body in which we differentiate between after marriage and prior to marriage, and everything that must be covered after marriage must also be covered before marriage. Why then is the hair any different? If anything, the hair is one of the most attractive parts of a woman’s figure, and hence should always be considered Erva irrelevant of whether she is married or not. Based on the above teaching of Admur, we can now understand this matter. The reason for requiring the hair to be covered has nothing to do with attractiveness[2] but rather with the mystical concept of it giving nurture to the side of evil. Now, this is only applicable after marriage. When the feminine aspect of a woman is still found in the world of Atzilus it does not do any harm to the world and from it can not derive any nurture to the side of evil. Prior to marriage, a woman is found on this level of Atzilus, as she is not involved in bearing children which is the aspect of femininity that is drawn down to the worlds below. However, after she gets married she is involved in the creation and continuity of the world which is expressed through her birthing children, and corresponds to the attribute of Malchus traveling below to feed the world of Beriya. On this level and at this stage, her hairs can nurture the side of evil and hence must be covered.]

[1] See Sefer Shaar Hamitzvos of Arizal on Parshas Kedoshim “However a woman comes from the level of Za… And all of the grasping of the severities and their root is in her, and if you remove the severities completely from the head of the female then they will be completely nullified, and therefore a woman is not to shave her head and on the contrary she’s to grow out her hair as is well known, to leave a root for the severities”; Ben Yehoyada Miseches Brachos p. 61 and Miseches Yuma p. 47; Shemen Sasson 9

[2] Just as the Jewish laws of modesty do not require the woman’s face to be covered despite it arguably being the most attractive part of the body, so too the same applies regarding her hair if not for the mystical fact explained above.