Jewish World Review Oct. 12, 2000/13 Tishrei 5761
A modest proposal
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
IT WAS an inevitable question for a discussion of this sort in my Orthodox
high school classroom: "If we, as Jewish girls, are supposed to dress
modestly, isn't it missing the point if our long skirts and high necklines
cause us to attract more attention in a crowd?"
Two types of students present such queries. The first is the disingenuous
type, delighted at her clever attempt at ritualistic one-upsmanship. Watch
me deconstruct tznius, the imperative of modesty in Jewish religious law, or
Halacha - and be even more religious than my religion as I do it!
The other category is the genuinely sincere student, who displays in her
inquiry a very real desire to understand the roots of this commandment that
confronts her at every turn, at school or on the street, and especially
during that Rorschach test of American womanhood, clothes shopping.
Whatever the origins of the challenge, it is a gauntlet I pick up with
relish. For it reveals a fundamental misconception in the understanding of
Jewish modesty, a misconception I value the opportunity to clarify, as it so
often serves as a springboard for a discussion of issues of identity and
femininity with girls on the cusp of adulthood.
Like a stereotypical Jew, I answer the question with one of my own.
If modesty is such a high priority for women in a Torah society, I ask, why
don't we go all the way? Why don't we wear thick veils over our faces, and
gloves to cover our hands? Would that not be the ultimate expression of
tznius?
They all know that the answer is no; if it were otherwise, we'd be doing all
that. But they don't immediately understand why.
My next question: Even the strictest of Halachic opinions agrees that a
woman's hands and face do not require a covering. What might those body
parts alone have in common?
They mull this one over, until suddenly, the light dawns, and arms wave
eagerly in the air. The face is unique, they tell me. And science has yet to
discover two people with identical fingerprints. It isn't easy to identify
people by their arms or legs, but our hands and our faces are in a class by
themselves, impossible to confuse with those of any other human being.
The conclusion is inescapable. What Jewish law permits a woman to display
are precisely those parts of her that convey her essence --- her intellect,
her emotions, her individuality. She is forbidden to show that which would
present her as anything less.
Tznius, modesty, is literally G-d's gift to womanhood. It tells us, don't
sell yourself short. You are more than the body that houses you. Your
uniqueness shines forth from a physical presence that radiates from beyond
physicality.
And so, if a Jewish woman happens to attract attention for the length of her
skirt or her sleeves, she is conveying the ultimate message of tznius. For
she is presenting a sharp contrast to baser standards that cheapen and use
women, insisting on showing herself to the world as a model of womanly pride
and self- respect.
As it happened, this particular discussion had a sequel, on the very same
day. Many of my students attend college at night, to get a jump-start on
their careers. That night, in a sociology class, it seems that a discussion
arose regarding the implications of female dress in American culture. After
several preliminary sallies, one boy seized the floor, and proceeded to hold
forth on the self- evident (to him) degraded state of American womanhood, as
proven by current clothing styles.
So contemptuous was he that more than one aspiring feminist stalked out of
the class in indignant protest. As he slowly wound down, he ended his tirade
with a question. "I mean, what do you expect? Why shouldn't we guys relate
to you like animals when you dress the way you do?" To emphasize his point,
he swiveled around from his front row seat to present some evidence for his
assertion. --- only to be stopped dead in his tracks by fifteen yeshiva girls
in long skirts and high necklines, smiling delightedly from ear to ear.
"I never thought about in precisely this way," one student confided the next
day. "But sometimes it takes an outsider to drive an idea home. It was
uncanny how he made the same point as you did, that very same day!"
Yes,
the rules are sometimes difficult. Certainly, we chafe occasionally at the
restrictions they impose. Of course we don't always feel dignified and
queenly; sometimes we want to let down our hair, and express other sides of
ourselves. The beauty of dedication above all to Jewish religious observance
is that one learns to subjugate one's own inclinations to the Torah -- and
here, to convey only what you truly are -- human, rational, spiritual.
And so, I tell my students, hold your heads high as you wear your skirts
long. For you are the truly liberated
By Sarah Cohen
Sarah Cohen, part of Am Echad Resources' writing pool, is a teacher and
writer in New York. You may comment by clicking here.