Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Orach Chaim/303

​303: The Laws of a Woman's Ornaments. Contains 27 seifim.

1 A woman should not go out with strands of wool, and not with strands of flax, and not with strips that are on her head. Because she needs to remove them at the time of immersion, we are concerned lest she will carry them four cubits in the public domain. And if they are braided in her hair, it is permitted. And there is one who forbids. And if they are woven, it is permitted because she does not need to remove them at the time of immersion. Gloss: And only provided that they should not be soiled or gilded, because then, she removes them so that they should not get soiled in the water (Tur and Rabbi Asher and Sefer Mitzvot Gadol).

2 It is permitted to go out with strands that are on her neck which are loose and she does not need to remove them at the time of immersion. However, with a choker that's on her neck, it is forbidden because she needs to remove it at the time of immersion since she tightens it in order that she should appear plump and we are concerned lest she will come to carry 4 cubits in the public domain. And she should not go out with a totefes, and that is like a head plate and it extends from ear to ear; and not with sharvutin, and that is also a head plate and it only reaches until her cheeks for she wraps it on her head and lets it hang down on her cheeks from here and from here. And that is provided that they are not sewn into a hairnet, because we are concerned lest she will remove it to show off and she will come to carry 4 cubits in the public domain. But it they are sewn, there is no concern for this and it is permitted.

Gloss: And there are those who say that a virgin, who is not concerned about the uncovering of hair, is forbidden even if it is sewn into a hairnet, because we are concerned lest she will remove it with the hairnet and she will come to carry (Or Zarua).

3 She should not go out with a head covering from wool, which are threads of wool which are cut and made like a hedge, (explanation: like vessels that are made from leaves of lulavs of the palm trees, which are woven, unlike an itztima, which is made like felt as stated in the Gemara there), and they are wide as two fingerbreadths, as the measurement of a head plate. And not with an itztima, which is a cloth on which are hung multi-colored strands, and is hung for a bride to chase away the flies from her.

4 She should not go out with a "city of gold". And Rashi explained that it is a circular ornament and like an image of a city is drawn on it and it has a protrusion in the center with which it is fastened to a garment. And Rabbeinu Tam explained that it is like a crown for the head.

5 She is permitted to go out with a kelila, and that is an ornament which she places on her forehead from ear to ear and fastens it with straps which are hung; whether it is made of pieces of gold, strung on a thread, or whether those pieces are affixed to a cloth.
​6 A resokia, which is a wide piece of a cape – if it has short strands hanging on it, to tie them with them and to fasten them around her, so that it's fastened, it is permitted. And if it does not have strands, it is forbidden.

7 She should not go out with a choker, which is a garment that has laces similar to trousers and a wide strap is inserted into it and she ties it around her neck and the garment hangs over her heart and it is important and is decorated with gold.

8 She should not go out with nose rings; she does, however, go out with earrings.

Gloss: Because their ears are covered. And in a place where it is customary to reveal the ears, it is forbidden to go out with earrings where it is the way to take them out from there (Or Zarua).

9 She should not go out with a punctured needle. And if she did go out, she is liable. And one that isn't punctured – if she supports her ornaments with it, it is permitted to go out with it. And if she does not support her ornaments with it, it is forbidden.
​10 She should not go out with a signet ring. And if she went out, she is liable. And when there is no signet on it, she should not go out; and if she went out, she is exempt.

11 She should not go out with a brooch, i.e., an ornament with which she joins the openings of her cloak; and not with a koveles, i.e., a knot in which spices are tied, thats fragrance is pleasant.

12 If one of her teeth is missing and she inserts another one in its place – if it is from gold, she should not go out with it, because since it differs in appearance from other teeth, it is possible that they will shame her and she will remove it and carry it. However, one from silver, which resembles other teeth, is permitted. And certainly, a human tooth.

13 She should not go out with a shoe that is torn on the top, for they will laugh at her and she will come to carry it; and not with a new shoe, lest it will not fit her measure, unless she tried to walk in it from yesterday, for it is her size. However, a man is permitted because he is not so particular. Gloss: And regarding other clothes, there is no concern, even as regards a woman. Kol Bo.

14 She goes out with strands of hair, whether they are made from her hair or from hair of her friend, and even from hair of an animal, except that an older woman should go out with that of a younger women and not a younger women with that of an older woman.

15 She goes out with a knot that is made for healing and plucking the evil eye, that it should not have power, and with wool that is tied and squeezed into her ear, and with wool that's in her sandal, that's tied in her sandal, and with a sandal and shoe that are closed from every side, even if not tied, is permitted, and with wool that she installed for her menstruation gloss: so that blood should not fall on her and pain her (Beit Yosef in the name of the decisors) even if not tied, for since it's repulsive, we are not concerned lest she will take it off, even if it has a handle, and with pepper and with a grain of salt and with any spice that she will put into her mouth, and only provided that she should not put them initially on Shabbat, and if it fell out, she should not return it, and with stockings that are tied with twine‏‏‏‏ around her shins, even though the twine is not tied to them, and we are not concerned lest they will get pulled down. And she goes out with a bracelet‏‏‏‏ that is placed on the arm or on the shin, and that is provided that it should be attached to the flesh and it should not slip. And there is one who prohibits regarding one that's on the arm.

16 Regarding anything with which she could go out, she could unravel it in the public domain and we are not concerned lest she will carry it.

17 There are those who forbid to bring a key, even in the yard of the house, except in one's hand, but not in his belt, lest he'll forget and take it out to the public domain.

18 Everything that the sages prohibited to go out with it to the public domain – it is forbidden to go out with it to a yard that does not have an erub, except for a hair-net and a peah nokhrit which is a plait of hear that she wove into her hair. And there are those who say that everything that they prohibited to go out with it – even to adorn oneself with it in the house is forbidden, and all the more so, to go out with it to a yard has an erub, except for a hair-net and peah nokhrit. And there are those who say that it's permitted to go out with anything in a yard, even one that does not have an erub. And nowadays, our women are accustomed to go out with all jewelry. And there are those who said that according to the law, they are forbidden, but since they will not listen, it is better that they should be unintentional and they should not be intentional. And there are those who gave them the benefit of the doubt, saying that they are so accustomed in accordance with the latter opinion that I mentioned, that they did not prohibit to go out ​with jewelry to a yard that does not have an erub; and now, that we do not have an absolute public domain, all of our public domains are a karmelit and its law is like a yard that does not have an erub and it's permitted. Gloss: And there are those who say another reason to permit, that now, jewelry is common and they go out with them even during the week and there is no concern lest they will remove it and show it like in their days when they were not accustomed to go out with them except on Shabbat and they were not common (Tosafot, Chapter "All Writings"; and Haggahot Alfasi, Chapter "With What does a Woman"). And still, a ring that has a signet on it for a woman and one that does not have a signet on it for a man, regarding which the Mishnah states that one is liable for a sin-offering, is forbidden even in a karmelit, even for us. And the same rule applies for anything regarding which liability for a sin-offering was said. And there is one who says that nowadays, that the men are accustomed to go out with a ring that does not have a signet on it, it is like jewelry for them and it's permitted. And according to this, it's possible that since the women are now accustomed to go out with a ring that has a signet on it, it is like jewelry for them and it's permitted. And nevertheless, one needs to warn women that they should only go out with needles that they need to support their ornaments, and not more, for with this with which they don't have a benefit, they will listen to us.

19 One needs to warn women that they should not move a needle thats point or end was removed, to place into scarves, unless its point and its end was removed from the Eve of Shabbat [and was designated] for this sake. [And see below, Chapter 308, Seif 11].

20 The young daughters that they pierce their ears in order to place earrings in them when they will grow up, and in order that the perforations should not close up, they place chips into them – it's permitted to go out with them. And the same rules applies if they place threads into those perforations, that it's permitted to go out with them if they are not colored. But if they are colored, it's forbidden.

21 A woman goes out veiled and that is that she wraps her whole head, except for the face.

22 She clasps [meaning, she attaches] on Shabbat by the stone and by the nut which she designated for this and she goes out with it. But it's forbidden to clasp by a coin on Shabbat for it's not something that may be moved; and designation does not help for it. And if she clasped by it from the Eve of Shabbat, it's permitted to go out with it on Shabbat.

23 If she needed to take out a nut for her son and she clasped by it in order to take it out – if to the public domain, it's forbidden; and if to a karmelit, it's permitted.

24 She goes out with a preserving stone [the Arukh explained: a known stone which when it is on a woman, she will not miscarry] and with a weight that they weighed against it so that she should not miscarry; and even if she has not yet become pregnant.

25 It is forbidden for a woman that she should pass red paint over her face on Shabbat because of painting. And for this reason, she is forbidden to apply kohl on Shabbat. And for this reason, she is forbidden to daub dough on her face and when she takes it off, it reddens the flesh.

26 A woman is forbidden to braid her hair on Shabbat; and not to unravel her braid. But she could divide her hair.

Gloss: And there are those who forbid to divide her hair, meaning, to make the sheitel [Rashi and Or Zarua]; and so is the custom to forbid to make it through a utensil. But merely with a finger, the custom is to be lenient.

27 It is forbidden to comb with a comb on Shabbat and even that which is made from pig's hair, for it's not possible that hairs should not be plucked out. (But it's permitted to rub and to part with the hand) (Beit Yosef).