Jewish scholars split hairs over Indian wigs
Srinivasa Prasad
Bangalore, June 24
A host of Jewish scholars are descending on the temple town of Tirupati to ''investigate'' how devotees tonsure their heads and to find out if wigs made from their hair can be worn by Jewish women.
This follows a recent ruling by leading Israeli rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv that wigs made of hair cut in offering to Hindu gods makes them idolatrous and unacceptable to Judaism.
Orthodox Jewish women wear wigs to cover their natural hair, which according to their religion can be viewed only by their husbands. Wigs made of Indian hair — most of which comes from the Lord Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati — have been a big hit with them for their long strands and good texture.
What rabbis and experts in Halacha — Jewish religious law — want to look into is whether sacrificing hair amounts to idol worship and whether the rite goes against the Jewish belief of monotheism or the existence of a single God.
''Offering hair to god may be idolatry but using it can't be,'' says a temple official, refusing to be named and made ''part of a needless controversy''. He says Jewish scholars ''may have come and gone but haven't met us''.
There have been newspaper reports in West Asia and elsewhere that Jewish wom-en have been making bonfires of wigs made from Indian hair following the decree and using synthetic wigs, hats and scarves instead.
But apparently, the hair-splitting over Indian wigs came to a head a lot earlier.
The Jerusalem Post reports that 13 years ago rabbis ''permitted Indian wigs after on-site research''. But it also says that according to the new order, the Hindu rite has changed since then.
The New York Times quotes a rabbi as saying that a similar controversy ''was resolved without a ban'' some 30 years ago and that the Hindu practice of offering hair may have changed, prompting the latest ruling.
But temple officials insist nothing has changed. ''It is the same ritual. If the Jews want to stir up emotions, it is up to them. We have no control over how the hair is used once it is auctioned,'' says one such
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_845930,0008.htmהטקסט שלך כאן
