Walking Around by the Seaside Without a Head Covering
The Pri Megodim (siman 2, Eishel Avraham 4) writes: “Know, that if one is going to wash in a river, he should leave his clothes right by the side of the river, not like those who walk many amos without covering their bodies or their heads”.
R’ Chaim Kanievsky zt”l (Da’as Noteh, Vol. 1, pg. 78, and he’orah 178) says that one shouldn’t walk around without a head covering even by the seaside. And it’s a middas chasidus for one to cover his head even whilst he is in the water. (See Kuntros HaZichronos, siman 2, sif 3, where R’ Chaim writes about the Chazon Ish “I seem to recall that when he bathed in the sea, he would make sure to keep his head covered”.)
Although, according to strict halachah we can’t obligate one to remove his head covering just before entering into the sea, however, those who are careful to take it off just before entering, and to put it back on as soon as they come out, it shows they have yiras Shomayim. If one wishes to bathe in the sea with a head covering on, although most people don’t, it’s not a problem of יוהרא – looking like a showoff, to do so.
Defending Those Who Don’t Cover Their Heads
Those who are lenient not to cover their heads and aren’t worried about the above, rely on the Biur Halachah (end of siman 2) who says that if one is checking his hair for lice he may have his head uncovered, and there is no problem of ובחוקותיהם לא תלכו, as everyone can see why one’s head is uncovered. Therefore, by the seaside as well, it’s clear why one isn’t covering his head, therefore, there is no problem. The same thing would be when having a haircut.
Some say, that R’ Dovid Baron zt”l would laugh at those people who were particular to cover their head when they were by the seaside or by the mikveh. Since anyway they are going around unclothed, the dinim of tznius don’t apply and wearing a head covering is just stupidity (Shilhi Dekeita, siman 100, and Orach Dovid pg. 16).
The Sha’arei Teshuvah (2, s.k. 6) quotes the Bechor Shor (Shabbos 118b) who cites proof to the above idea from Maseches Derech Eretz (Perek 10). In Maseches Derech Eretz it discusses the order of removing clothes in a bathhouse and it says: Remove the shoes, then remove the hat (ומסלק את כובעו), then the tallis, then untie the belt, then remove the lower garments, then wash etc. then when getting redressed ... cover oneself with a tallis, then the hat, and then the shoes “ We see that it’s ok to remove the head covering before the other clothes, and the same is when getting redressed, we don’t find that one needs to start with his head covering.
However, we can refute this proof, as perhaps the Maseches Derech Eretz is talking about a hat which his very big, and it gets in the way of removing the other clothes, therefore, one must remove it at the beginning. However, a small yarmulke that one wears underneath his hat and doesn’t get in the way, that one should leave on until the end and should put it on again straight away when getting redressed (see Zeh HaShulchan, Vol. 2, siman 2).
Practically, R’ Chaim Kanievsky (Da’as Noteh, Vol. 1, pg. 56) writes that one should put his yarmulke on before anything else. He brings that the Chazon Ish and Steipler were very particular about this, making sure not to have their head uncovered for longer than necessarily. See also Ben Ish Chai (Vayishlach, ois 17), Shu”t Minchas Yitzchok (4:60) and Halichos Shlomah (Tefillah, Perek 13, s.k. 26)
There is what to be me’orah [ask] on the opinion of R’ Dovid Baron. The Rambam (Hilchos De’os 5:6) writes: “Talmiday Chachomim are very tznius [modest] and they don’t disgrace themselves, and they don’t uncover their heads or their bodies.”
The Malbim (Artzos HaChaim, siman 8, Eretz Yehudah ois 4) writes: “From the Rambam it’s clear that uncovering the head, and revealing parts of the body that are normally covered are all the same prohibition, as he includes the two things together. Therefore, uncovering the head is a problem of ervah, just like the rest of the parts of the body that are normally covered”. According to this, why should one not try to act with tznius regarding covering his head, even if he doesn’t cover the rest of his body. Partial tznius is surely better than none?!
