8 Responses

1. Finally a prominent Rav is out about this serious issue. Expect all the usual Misyavnim to criticize him mercilessly.

2. BH someone has the koyach to come out with such an important psak. Personally, I am machmir not to speak to any females other than my wife and unmarried daughters, and for other interactions I use only hand motions, such as at the makolet. This might be impractical for someone who works in an office environment, but the abishter will repay!

3. This is a serious issue. I’ve seen numerous families become destroyed from these issues. It always begins with “we need a little more money” or “‘I’m so bored just staying home”. If a person can not find a job in a Tzinius environment, then it’s better that he or she not work. Work in a safe and tzniousdik environment or don’t work at all.

4. “Work in a tzniousdik environment or don’t work at all”
   The biggest threat to the chareidi tzibur is not c’v having someone work in a normal job and earn a parnassah to care for their family. The much bigger threat are the growing number of families where neither parent works and they have to beg for tzadakah or rely on welfare from the government paid fort through the tax revenues provided by the productive members of society. For hundreds of years our parents, grandparents etc. were able to live a balanced life where they worked but also found time for learning while avoiding immoral behavior. In the post-War period, Rav Moshe, Z’tl and many other gadolim supported the notion of earning a parnassah and provided considerable common sense guidance on how to resolve concerns over issues of tzinius (e.g. it is mutar to travel on mass transit with women to get to and from your workplace). However, in the past 2 decades, a small number of rabbanim have taken increasingly extreme positions which could lead to future generations of undeducated, dysfunctional and illiterate families incapable of earning a parnassah and functioning in a contemporary world. Given the growing size of these families, it is a slow moving train wreck in progress.

5. Katanhadorah,

   The biggest threat to the chareidi tzibur is not c’v having someone work in a normal job and earn a parnassah to care for their family.

   Wow, biggest threat?

   Divorces?
   Going off the derech?

   Biggest threat is parnassah?

   Hashem provides (unless you’re really a Kofer)

6. The approach of Ger is the one to emulate. Gerrer men never even address their wives by name and the wives take care to always walk behind their Husbands when they have a heter to be out in public together. Their personal relations are kept to the absolute minimum as required by halocha. This behaviour is what leads to real shalom bayis d’kedusha. If things go well at home there will be no danger from the workplace.

7. I think Gadolhadorah has correctly identified the major threat to frum life. Without parnassah, everything falls apart. Divorce and OTD are caused, in part, by weak parnassah. Families can deal with divorce if there is money to provide for two households, and the OTD are more likely to stay on, or return to, frum life if they don’t feel crushed by the expense of yeshivas. Hashem wants us to make this world holy, by living in this world and observing His mitzvos. Part of living in this world requires parnassah, and Hashem expects us to do what has to be done to have parnassah.

8. To ‘Coffee addict

   He is, if you read his posts all over at other sites too