Tzniut- the Jewish Concept of Modesty

Tzniut

Basic Overview:

In this day and age fashion has become a vital way for people to become accepted and many Jews have assimilated as a result. Luckily many still practice the Jewish concept of modesty, called Tzniut. The most common association with the Hebrew word of Tzniut is the set of laws about clothing regarding to women. Therefore, numerous people assume Tzniut is aimed only at women, but men are also forbidden to run around half-dressed and some even go as far as wearing long black coats and hats in the dead heat of the summer. (http://www.ashrei.com/tzniut.htm)

Source:

In Micah (6:8) we see Tzniut is first referred to by the phrase, “… and to walk humbly with your G-d .” It’s obvious what this phrase is implying- one should be humble or modest in their dress, conversation, and in all aspects of their life. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzniut)

Another source of Tzniut is found in Devarim (23:15). Although this source may seem as if it has nothing to do with the concept of Tzniut, its meaning (as I interpret it) is much deeper. The verse states, “For the Lord, your G-d, walks in the midst of your camp to rescue you and to deliver your enemies before you; so your camp shall be holy, so that He will not see a shameful thing among you and turn away from behind you.” What I believe this verse means is that the Jewish people were and still are watched over by G-d as long as we stay away from the “shameful” and keep ourselves respectable. (www.askmoses.com/qa_detail.html?o=2509)

Description:

For a person to stay respectable, especially for a woman, is a difficult test in our time. That’s the reason our sages created the specific rules of dress; because no matter what some may think, our culture will always have an effect on us- desired or not. The media determines the style craze of the moment and since we live in a predominantly non-Jewish society, most fads are not considered to be Tzniut. On billboards, trains, buses, and even in newspapers these fads are portrayed in any way the company thinks will help sell their product. This usually means the ad has absolutely nothing to do with the product. For example, there are hundreds of beer ads posted in trains and some actually relate to the product in their advertisement. Not surprisingly, most don’t. I won’t mention any names but one specific beer ad always makes me wonder, “WHAT?...” It’s of a man and a woman standing extremely close to one another and somewhere nearby the logo of the beer can be seen (keep in mind the actual bottle is nowhere in sight). There are many things wrong with this ad. It doesn’t have anything to do with the product and the scary thing is that it actually sells! The obvious reason? The half-dressed woman in the ad.

When most people look at that advertisement they don’t think, “I bet she’s smart, or funny, or extremely kind.” They don’t really care because they’re too caught up in her looks. Tzniut gives Jewish women an opportunity to respect themselves and an opportunity to teach others to respect them as well. Those who are Tzniut in their dress and actions find that people do tend to hold them in higher esteem than they would if they weren’t Tzniut. So people should look at Tzniut not as a restriction but as a chance to prove to the world who they really are.

Details:

Sadly, not many people have such a positive outlook on the idea of Tzniut. It bothers many that they cannot dress in a non-Tzniut manner in front of family who happen to be male. A brother, cousin, or even father is not allowed to see the woman dressed in any manner other than Tzniut. A woman should not uncover her hair or wear any sort of short-sleeve tops in front of family, only her husband. But things such as pajama pants are allowed to be worn in front of a woman’s father and brothers. (http://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/eng/default.asp?category=7&page=1 ) There’s also the big question of a woman being able to wear loose fitting pants when playing sports such as skiing or windsurfing. When engaged in such extreme sports, it’s very uncomfortable for most women to wear skirts. Wearing a skirt under such circumstances can be looked at as non-Tzniut because it can roll up if one falls and it can also attract unwanted attention since it is such an odd way to be dressed while in the middle of such a sport. The opinion most Rabbis have on this is that it’s forbidden for a women to wear men’s clothing because it can cause them to have immodest contact between them. Even so, there are some Rabbis who would allow it if the loose fitting pants were made especially for the woman. There are also