Reply To: Short Skirts

Avira, I find it difficult to see any Godol B’Yisroel giving a public response to which is worse in such a tradeoff. That would be akin to paskening whether it’s worse to eat a McDonald’s cheeseburger or chazir mamish. I could say that if someone IS going to do one or the other, and there’s no way to stop them, the cheeseburger is less worse. But a posek can’t make such a public ruling, even if it’s true, because it might give license to the uninitiated to think that somehow a cheeseburger isn’t so treif.

Same with short skirts versus pants.

I think your secondary argument that this proposition wouldn’t be that much gain is very very shvach. ANY quantity reduction in the extent of the problem has a huge impact on lessening the issue for the victims. Just because the terrible issue isn’t entirely alleviated doesn’t dispute that any improvement will be keenly felt.

Your opening argument has merit. Not to necessarily agree that it is persuasive over my argument, but it certainly is a point that needs to be considered. But even if society or segments thereof went with your shitta, in principle short skirts are more pritzusdik than pants, in my view.