Modesty

From Sebomenoi

Modest Clothing Websites: Jewish sources - http://www.tznius.com/ http://www.modestworld.com/ Click HERE For More Links....

Other sources - http://www.modestclothes.com/ http://www.shukr.co.uk http://www.stanosheck.com/Modesty.html http://www.desertstore.com/

For Jewish Men

A 'Hhakham,' a 'man of wisdom,' is not supposed to reveal his head, his garment should reach to his ankels, but not lower so as to drag on the ground like the arrogant, and the sleeves of his arms should come to the 'heads' of his fingers. His clothing should not be transparent, not rags like a man in destitute, and not overly elaborate like one full of pride. His clothing should be reflective of his way with others - modest and meek (Hilkhoth De'oth 5:[6] 10). Although not all Jewish men are a 'Hhakham,' all Jewish men should try to model their ways after the ways of the 'Hhakham'eem.' This is a positive commandment in the Torah. According to the Mishneh Torah, while praying the Prayer, all Jewish men must be especially careful to be modest and not to reveal their heads. The majority of observant Jews throughout the world in our days have taken it upon themselves to try and always have a covering on their head. Jews in all places, until fairly recent times, have traditionally worn a robe type garment with long sleeves.

For Jewish Women

Mishneh Torah in Sefer Qedusha in Hilkhoth Isurei Bi'ah 21:17 "The Daughters of Israel should not walk with their heads uncovered in a marketplace, whether she is available (for marriage) or whether she is married."

Most of the issues of modesty for Jewish women are mentioned as being enforced by halakha, with their parameters, in Hilkhoth Ishuth 24; There are other places where other levels of modesty, whether more lenient or more stringent than the required practice, are mentioned. These other levels of modesty are mentioned in a place where halakhah is affected by such practices. The following appear to be prohibitions from the Torah as listed in Rambam's codification of Talmudic law in the Mishneh Torah - Hilkhoth Ishuth 24:11

"These are the matters that if she did one of them, she transgressed the 'faith of Moses:'

She went out in the shuq [marketplace] and the hair of her head was exposed,

Or she makes vows or oaths and she doesn't uphold them,

Or she makes use of her bed (an idiom for intercourse) and she is in needah (hadn't purified herself after her monthly period),

Or she doesn't separate Hhalah,

Or that she fed her husband forbidden things. There is no need to mention various crawling creatures and animals that weren't properly slaughtered (since this is understood). Rather, [even] things that are not tithed........."

The following are practices that the Sanhedrin made binding either after deciding with their own understanding that such practices will fortify the Jewish people in the observance of the Torah or after seeing that the majority of the Jewish people themselves had already voluntarily taken on certain practices which the Sanhedrin determined were beneficial, and therefore made them offically binding as halakha:

Mishneh Torah in Sefer Nashim in Hilkhoth Ishuth 24:12

"...What is meant by 'the Jewish faith?' It is the practice of modesty that the 'Daughters of Israel' are accustomed to. And these are the things that if she does one of them, she transgresses the 'Jewish religion:'

She goes out to the marketplace or to a passage way with openings at each end while her head is uncovered and without a reh'dheedh [long descending veil / cloth-material] on her as all the women, even though her hair is covered in a scarf / handkerchief,

Or that she was spinning [fabric] in the market and [there is a] rose or something similar on her face, on her forehead, or on her cheek, as is the way the immodest idolatrous women do,

Or that spins [fabric] in the shuq [marketplace] and shows her forearms to people,

Or that she was playing with the young men,

Or that she was demanding from her husband the use [of the bed - intercourse] with a loud voice, until her neighbors heard her speaking about the business of of using [the bed - intercourse],

Or that she was cursing the father of her husband in front of her husband.

Halakha 13

Azra made an edict that a woman / wife (same word in Hebrew) should always have a belt in [her] see'nar (britches) while in her house, because of modesty. And if she didn't put on a belt, she has not transgressed the 'faith of Mosha,' and she does not relinquish her kethubah.

And likewise, if she went outside from courtyard to courtyard inside a passage way, and her head was revealed, since her hair is covered in a scarf / handkerchief, she has not transgressed a 'faith' (neither the 'faith of Mosha' nor the 'Jewish faith')."

• • see’nar means britches. In Modern Hebrew this word means a bib like a baby’s bib, or an apron. Multiple Jewish communities in the Middle East understood this word to mean britches. This is way in the Middle East Jewish women wore feminine pants under their dresses. Only in recent times in the State of Israel and in the West have the vast majority of women from these communities stopped doing so, with the exception of many women, including Ashkenazi women, who are members of the religious Zionist and settler movements. I am not sure if this halakha is their reason for doing so. As you probably know, most Hharedi women do not wear britches under their dresses. Some Hhasidic women around the Me'a Sha'areem area of Jerusalem, and maybe in other places as well, actually wear an apron over their dresses. Besides the fact that the aprons they use do not assit them in modesty, as the halakha states the see'nar does, I've also only seen them wearing these aprons on Shabath.

One rabbi once told me that the reason Hharedi women don't wear britches under their dresses is because the Muslims do it. I should have asked him whether Jewish women should even wear dresses at all, or cover their hair or separate from their husbands during needah etc.. etc.., since Muslim women do these things as well. It is fitting to note that the great Ashkenazi authority Rashi also understands the word seen'ar to be referring to britches. At the place where the Talmud teaches on this halakha, Rashi comments that see’nar refers to ‘mekhnas’aiyeem’ / pants. This word continues to mean pants even in Modern Hebrew. The following are paraphrases to additional places in the Mishneh Torah in connection to modesty for women:

A Jewish husband is obligated to provide for his wife a belt for her loins for the see'nar Ezra decreed Jewish women should wear, a cap for her head, and shoes from one festival to the next festival (See Hilkhoth Ishuth 13:1). And similarly they have obligated him to give her ornaments, such as colored clothing to wrap on her head and her forehead, and eye-makeup, and rouge, and things similar to these....(13:[4] 5) Places where their way is that a woman does not go out to a market with only a cap on her head, until there will be upon it a descending-garment that covers all her body like a cloak, he gives her with the catagory of clothing, a descending-garment the least of this type of garment (13:[11] 13).

All Jewish women, whether married or not, traditionally wore long dresses well below the knee with long sleeves to the wrist. The most lenient opinions, which in modern Western culture have become the most popular opinions in the eyes of Jews of all ehdas, is that a woman's sleeves must conceal at least from the elbow up and from the knees up. Often overlooked is the fact that even this most lenient opinion can not be observed in most cases if the sleeves end right at the elbow; for when she lifts her arms her elbow will be exposed. The same goes with a dress that ends right at the knees. When she sits or bends over the dress will lift up enough to expose her knees - at the least. Therefore, it is reasonable that even those going with the most lenient opinion should at least wear dresses and sleeves long enough to cover these the elbows and knees also when sitting or moving the arms.

For B'neh Noah (the 'sons of Noah' - the nations of the world)

The standards of modest dress for a person who is not a Jew may or may not be the same as the standards of modesty for Jews. Standards of modesty are not laid out in halakha for the non-Jewish nations with the level of clarity for which they are laid out for Jews. There are two possible HINTS at a standard of modesty for non-Jews which I am currently aware of. Both of them concern a head-covering. One is a reference in the Talmud and also in Midrash which give the transgression of Eve as one of the reasons why women cover their hair. In these places the topic is mentioned as a statement, but not as a command or law. The other place is in Hilkhot Melakhim in the Mishneh Torah where Rambam writes about the 7 laws of Noah. There, concerning divorce, he rights that when a non-Jew appoints a non-Jewish maidservant to be wife to a non-Jewish male-servent, that afterward when their master separates them, she is to uncover her head in the marketplace. This halakha for non-Jews ASSUMES that the non-Jewish maidservant was covering her head, at least in some manner. I think it is a safe assumption to make that IF a non-Jewish maidservant is assumed to be covering her hair, a non-Jewish woman who isn't a maidservant is also assumed to be covering her hair. Nonetheless, this halakha is still not coming right out and saying that non-Jewish women must cover their head/hair. I imagine that this issue is elaborated on more in other places of Jewish texts... but as of now this is all I'm aware.

The laws of modest dress concerning female's hair/head covering for Jews are discussed on: http://sagavyah.tripod.com/pnuyah.html

Whatever the case concerning a required standard of modesty for non-Jews, whether for males or females, one of the 7 laws of Noah is to establish a court system which will uphold and enforce the 7 laws of Noah. It seems to me that if this court system were to establish safe-guards or 'fences' to help distant and prevent the public for violating one of the 7 laws, their safe-guards should be respected and upheld. Decreeing some minimum level of modesty for the public would be a logical safe-guard protecting against the transgressing of the commandments against sexual immorality as well as stealing, since rape is considered a form of stealing. Additionally, for a person to lessen his observance of the positive permitted aspects of his culture or previous religion [such as levels of modesty or abstaining from profanity] simply because such practices may not be technically required according to the 7 laws of Noah may cause others to unnecessarily look down on observance of the 7 Laws of Noah. This would, of course, result in the opposite of spreading observance of the 7 Laws and the establishment of judicial systems which would uphold and enforce them. At the same time, the individual who has begun to observe the 7 Laws of Noah should not make the mistake of equating his personal stringencies and the Torah commandments which he has voluntarily chosen to practice with the 7 Laws of Noah which are the only absolutely binding requirements on the non-Jewish nations [with the exception of circumcision on the 8th day for the descendents of Keturah, such as the Arab peoples]. Each individual striving to serve the Almighty in accordance with the 7 Laws should do his best to weigh his actions in order to determine which additional courses of action [which practices, stringencies, or leniencies] will have a positive affect on society so as to lead the world the recognize of His Unity and submit to His Will in the long run, and which actions will not.

Modest Clothing Websites:

Jewish sources - http://www.tznius.com/ http://www.modestworld.com/ Click HERE For More Links....

Other sources - http://www.modestclothes.com/

SEE FOLLOWING BOOKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

OLAMOT SHEL TOHAR (Worlds of PURITY) __________________________________________________

THE JEWISH WOMAN IN RABBINIC LITERATURE A Psychosocial Perspective by Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University) (Hoboken, N.J: Ktav Publishing House, 1986) p. 239., 77, pp. 316-317. Also see Swidler, op. cit., pp. 121-123., p. 139.

__________________________________________________ Page Shin Lamed in Mori Qafehh's edition of Mishneh Torah with commentary, Sefer Qedusha - Isurei Biah chapter 21 halakha 17:

(Note Kaf Hhet) Tractate Ketuvoth page Ayin Bet - alef. From what is taught/learned in the school/yeshiva of Ribi Yishmael there is a warning to the daughters of Israel, that they shouldn't go out with their head uncovered. Our teacher (Rabeinu [Rambam]) learned/taught [from this]: 'whether one available/unmarried or married.' Therefore he made no distinction between an older woman or a little girl; And [quf resh mem] Qriat Melekh. (Rav Shin YudHet Qaniveski) wrote regarding the 'available/unmarried one' in NUN SHIN ALAF in Sefreh siman Yud Alaf, -- [** writes] that it is like this [mashmA ken]] I found a proof from Tamar, that she was a pnuyah (available/unmarried); And look into Tractate Nedarim page Lamed - bet: "and minors (qatanim) forever [should]...etc.."; And [look into] Tosafot there [on this Gemara]; and look into Tractate Eruvin page Quf - bet: "wrapped up like a mourner;" What is it [maihu] TzadiAyin ( ???) in Mishna Ketuboth Tet Vav - bet, "...and her head is uncovered, (until here/ahd kan - ayinkaf) -- and it's a difficulty for this [idea?] (qasha leh) according to Rashi concerning "uncovered hair upon her shoulders from her father's house to her grooms house;" However, there is no conclusive proof to this / can't draw a conclusion from this, and it could be that she goes out from the courtyard of her house for only one small hour for some ceremony like it was the custom in Yemen [among the Jews?], and as I describe in my book Halikhoth Teimon page 134. vav lamed quf mem.

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In the photo section of Mori Yosef Qafehh's book Halikhot Teimon one sees how Yemenite Jewish women of the area of Sa'ana dressed in private and in public. They wore a radheedh in public which they would pull over their face leaving their eyes exposed, when they would encounter a man with whom they were unfamiliar. The style of Jewish women's hair/head-covering in Yemen was very clearly distinct from the style of the muslim women. The Jewish women of Sa'ana area placed the radheedh on top of the gargoush - a hood type haircovering which was slightly coned at the top.

There is a book in English called "The Yemenites: 2,000 years of Jewish History," with photos showing how Jewish women of other regions in Yemen dressed/dress. [CLICK HERE for pic of Yemenite Dress from JewishEncyclopedia.com ]

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Israel & Ishmael ( Studies in Muslim - Jewish Relations) Edited by Tudor Parfitt in chapter titled "Cover Her Face:" Jewish Women & Veiling in Islaamic Civilisation by Yedida K. Stillman pages 13 - 29 [also includes a chapter on the Hemerayit Kingdom of Yemen]

Pictures of female Jewish dress (references learned from the above book):

Jewish woman in Smyrna, Turky in late 1700's/early 1800's; painting of Jewish woman indoors -- hair covered face exposed/ outdoors -- only eyes exposed; From "A History of Jewish Costume, 1973, page 42; A. Rubens.

Actual photo of Jewish woman in Baghdad, Iraq wearing a radheedh which the Jews there called khiliy and the Muslims called pica -- from "Album of Jewry of Iraq," A. Twena Ramla, 1981 p.171

Actual photo of a group of several Jewish women from Tunis, Tunisia in early 20th century visiting a cemetary, all but one wearing traditional dress - consists of a large radheedh called 'tantar,' which sits on top of a cone type hat the women wear underneath it; The radheedh practically covers them entirely; from Robert Attal. [CLICK HERE to see a similar and clearly related photo that I found on www.JewishEncyclopedia.com]

Actual photo of Jewish Berber woman from Tafilatt/lt?, Morocco wearing radheedh; Jean Besancenot Collection.

Actual photo: Rabat - Les mellahs de Rabat - Sale', Paris 1927; J. Goulven.

Tistakel b Beit Shmuel Alaf-Heh-Ayin Zayin siman Kaf Alaf, seef qatan - bet [samakhquf - bet], "aval bthula muteret Lsseth proath rosh.."