Some random thoughts on tznius:
1. When the Navi says,”…hatzneiah leches im Elokechah.” He isn’t talking about women’s hemlines. For that matter, he isn’t talking to women. He is telling all of Klal Yisroel to eschew arrogance and ostentation in their service of HaShem (“look how frum I am”) and in their daily lives.
2. What constitutes ervah is, at least in part, determined by community standards. For instance, in a community where women wear sleeves to the wrist, a bare forearm might very well be ervah. Whereas those communities that only require the arm and elbow be covered would be perfectly okay with bare forearms.
3. The prohibition that a women violates when immodestly dressed is Lifnei Iver. The thing to remember about Lifne i Iver is that the issur is not causing someone to stumble but placing the michshol itself. Therefore telling men not to look or to control their thoughts is meaningless. The fact is that the overwhelming majority of men can and do control themselves. That doesn’t mitigate the issur in the least.
Menu