Tzniut

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Tzniut or Tznius (also Tzeniut) (Hebrew: צניעות "modesty") is a term used within Judaism and has its greatest influence as a notion within Orthodox Judaism. It is used to describe both a character trait and a group of Jewish religious laws pertaining to conduct in general and especially between the sexes.

Humility is a paramount ideal within Judaism. Moses is referred to as "exceedingly humble, more than any man in the world" (Bamidbar 12:3). The Talmud boasts that humility is one of the characteristic traits of the Jewish people. (Talmud, Tractate Yevamot 79a.)

Contents

[edit] Description

Tzniut includes a group of laws concerned with modesty, in both dress and behavior. It is first mentioned in this context by the prophet Micah (6:8): "[...] and to walk humbly (hatzne'a leches) with your God". In the Babylonian Talmud, Rabbi Elazar Bar Tzadok connected this prophetic precept with modesty and discretion in dress and in behavior (Tractate Sukkah 49b).

One of the defining characteristics of the Jewish religious personality[citation needed] is Tzniut which means, roughly, "modesty". In Orthodox Rabbinic literature, the issue of Tzniut is discussed in rather technical terms: how low or how high a female's hemline should be, the length of sleeves, the form of dress, and so on. Notwithstanding these sometimes involved details, the concept of humility and modesty as an emotion, a practice, a way of life -- a "way of walking" -- is regarded as important in the classical world view of Judaism, and informs the concept and the practice of Tzniut in its rules and details.

[edit] Practical applications

[edit] Dress

Orthodox Judaism requires both men and women to substantially cover their bodies. In Haredi communities, men generally wear long pants and often long shirts, and women wear long-sleeve blouses and ankle-length dresses. Some women try not to follow the fashion and others wear fashionable, modest clothing.

In Modern Orthodox practice it is generally accepted for sleeves to reach the elbows and shirts to cover the collarbone, skirts to cover the knees with or without tights, and not wear pants in the presence of men. To ensure elbows and knees are covered skirts are worn so they reach a few inches below the knee and so are covered when sitting too, avoid skirts with slits, preferring instead kick-pleats. They also avoid overly eye-catching colors, especially bright red. Some insist on closed-toe shoes. In some communities such as the Haredi community of Jerusalem, women wear loose vests over shirts.

Men must wear shirts with sleeves. Modern Orthodox men will wear shorts, but Haredi men will not, and many[citation needed] will not wear short sleeves at all. Sandals without socks, while generally not worn in a synagogue, are usually accepted in Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist Communities in Israel for daily dress. Haredi communities discourage sandals without socks both in and out of the synagogue. Dress in a synagogue should be comparable to that worn by the community when meeting royalty/government.

Conservative Judaism formally requires modest dress, although this requirement is often unobserved on a day-to-day basis, but is somewhat more observed with respect to synagogue attendance. While day-to-day dress often simply reflects the general society, many Conservative synagogues expect somewhat more modest dress (although not necessarily as stringent as in Orthodox Judaism) for synagogue attendance, and may have specific dress requirements to receive synagogue honors (such as being called for a Torah reading). Reform Judaism does not regard religious dress requirements as applicable.

Style of dress involves cultural considerations distinct from religious requirements. There are many Conservative and Reform synagogues in which suits and ties are socially expected, while there are many Orthodox synagogues (especially in Israel) where dress, while meeting religious modesty requirements, is quite casual. Many Haredi and Hassidic communities have special customs and styles of dress which serve to identify members of their communities, but regard these special dress features as customs of their communities rather than as general religious requirements expected of all observant Jews.

[edit] Hair covering

Orthodox Halacha (Jewish law) requires married women to cover their hair [1]. The most common hair coverings in the Haredi community are the snood, the tichel (scarf), and the sheitel (wig); some Haredi women will cover their hair with hats or berets. Some married Modern Orthodox women cover their heads, some cover their hair (except for a few inches at the hairline), and some do not cover their heads or hair at all, though this contradicts the Halacha (in Hilkhoth Ishuth chapter 24, of the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides quotes the Talmudic literature as teaching that the covering of a woman's hair is Dat Moshe (originates from Moses' teaching), i.e., is Biblically mandatory). Virtually all married Modern Orthodox women wear a head or hair covering in synagogue. The most common head/hair covering for Modern Orthodox women is a hat or beret; younger married Modern Orthodox women will wear baseball caps and bandanas when dressed casually. Modern Orthodox women whose clothes are somewhat "hippyish" wear bright and colorful scarves tied in a number of ways. A style of half wig known as a "fall" has become increasingly common in many segments of Modern and Haredi Orthodox communities. It is usually worn either with a hat or headband.

Men, married or not, must cover their heads. The most common head covering is the kippah. This requirement, however, does not only stem from ideas of modesty, but also became a universal custom as a symbol of 'Fear of heaven'.

Conservative and Reform Judaism do not generally require women to wear headcoverings. However, some liberal Conservative synagogues suggest that women, married or not, wear head-coverings similar to those worn by men, and some require it, not for modesty, but as a feminist gesture of egalitarianism.

[edit] Female singing voice

In Orthodox Judaism men, under at least some circumstances, are not allowed to hear women sing, a prohibition called kol isha (Babylonian Talmud Tractate Berachot 24a). This is derived from Song of Solomon 2:14: "Let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet ("arev") and your face is beautiful." The Talmud classifies this as ervah (literally "nakedness"). The majority view of later interpreters is that this prohibition applies at all times, similarly to other prohibitions classified as ervah (Rosh Berachot 3:37, Shulkhan Arukh Even ha-Ezer 21:2)[2]. A minority view holds that the prohibition of kol isha applies only while reciting a single prayer, Shema Yisrael [3] (based on the opinion of Rav Hai Gaon, cited in Mordechai Berachot 80). There is debate between the poskim (authorities of Jewish law) whether the prohibition applies to a recorded voice, where the singer cannot be seen, where the woman is not known to the man who is listening and where he has never seen her or a picture of her. There are also opinions that exclude singing in mixed groups from this prohibition, such as synagogue prayer or dinner-table Zemirot (religious songs), based on the idea that the female voice is not distinctly heard as separate from the group in these cases.

Conservative and Reform Judaism do not have these requirements. Conservative Judaism interprets the relevant passage of the Talmud as expressing a Rabbi's opinion rather than imposing a requirement. Reform Judaism does not regard traditional law as applicable to modern times.

[edit] Touch

Main article: Negiah

In Orthodox Judaism, particularly in the more stringent Haredi community, men and women who are not married and are not close blood (not adoptive) relatives (parents/grandparents-children/grandchildren, siblings, married couples) are not allowed to touch each other, a prohibition that is colloquially called shmirath negiah (observance of the laws of touching) or shomer negiah.

A person who refrains from touching the opposite sex is said to be shomer negiah. The extent of the prohibition varies somewhat even within Haredi Judaism. Shmirath negiah applies to touching which is derech chiba (related to affection). According to many authorities, quick handshake, particularly in the context of earning a living in a business setting, may not fall under this category, as opposed to a hug or kiss. However, people who are stringently shomer negiah will avoid shaking hands with a member of the opposite sex, even in a business context. It is almost universally observed within the Haredi community and somewhat observed within the Modern Orthodox community where the term originated in recent decades.

Conservative and Reform Judaism do not regard these rules as applicable.

[edit] Yichud

Main article: Yichud

In Orthodox Judaism, men and women who are not married to each other and are not immediate blood relatives are not allowed to seclude themselves in a room or in an area that is private, the prohibition of yichud. The prohibition is even more intense against seclusion for a certain amount of time. This applies even between adoptive parents and adoptive children over the age of majority.

Conservative and Reform Judaism do not regard these rules as applicable.

[edit] Synagogue services

Main article: Mechitza

In Orthodox Judaism, men and women are not allowed to mingle during religious services, and synagogues must include a divider, called a Mechitza, creating separate men's and women's sections. In many synagogues this requirement is fulfilled by having a balcony for the women's section. Conservative and Reform congregations do not separate the sexes during services.

[edit] Public gatherings and dancing

In Orthodox Judaism, men and women are separated at certain other public religious gatherings, especially where dancing is expected to take place. While Orthodox Judaism generally agrees that mixed dancing is prohibited and dancing requires separation, the extent to which separation is required under other circumstances varies considerably within Orthodox Judaism. Many Haredi authorities require separation at celebratory meals and events such as weddings, although noted Haredi Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, holds that such separation is not required (except for the dancing component). Modern Orthodox authorities generally do not require separation except for dancing. [4] Conservative and Reform Judaism do not require separation between men and women at religious gatherings. Where separation occurs, it is often includes setting up a temporary Mechitza (partition). When it comes to the separation of sexes, Orthodox Judaism believes in the concept of "separate but equal."

[edit] Interpretations

Tzniut is the subject of differing interpretations among various segments of Judaism.

Issues that have received wide interpretation are:

The degree to which a woman's legs must be covered (thickness of tights/stockings/socks as well as different length socks vs. knee-highs vs. thigh-highs)

The principal guiding point is that a Jew should not dress in a way that attracts attention. This does not mean dressing poorly; in fact, a man is required to dress nicely and a woman should dress properly in a feminine manner. But neither men nor women should dress in a way that overly emphasizes the physical or attracts undue attention.

[edit] Observances

There are several levels to the observance of physical and personal modesty (tzniut) according to Orthodox Judaism as derived from various sources in halakha Observance of these rules varies from aspirational to mandatory to routine across the spectrum of Orthodox stricture and observance.

  • A person should not dwell on lascivious or immoral thoughts.
  • Avert one's eyes from staring at members of the opposite sex, particularly at any part of the opposite sex's "private" anatomy.
  • Keep most of one's body clothed in respectable clothing.
  • Avoid the company of uncouth individuals and where an atmosphere of levity and depravity prevails.
  • Avoid looking at pictures or scenes that will be sexually arousing.
  • Refrain from touching a person of the opposite sex, especially in a lingering arousing manner (shaking hands very quickly in greeting between sexes is a point of dispute, and depends on one's rabbi's halachic decision).
  • Do not wear the clothing of a member of the opposite sex.
  • Do not look at animals or birds copulating.
  • Do not erotically hug (chibuk) or kiss (nishuk) your spouse unless you are in private and when the wife is not a niddah ("menstruant" who has not immersed in a mikva).
  • Masturbation by men (hotza'at zera levatala -- "excreting semen in vain") is not allowed.
  • Sex with anyone of the same gender, or with any type of animal, or with a corpse is forbidden.

[edit] Criticism

Many feminists argue that these laws focus excessively on women, and claim that Jewish law is pessimistic about (male) human nature. They further argue that in the last several decades, excessive focus on, and objectification of, the female form may perversely engender or reflect a greater preoccupation with female sexuality than was previously found in Rabbinic Jewish literature.

From the 1960s to 1980s, this issue became a major topic of conversation within the non-Orthodox Jewish community and many people began to express an interest in practicing some of these observances. Conversely, by the 1980s some within the Orthodox Jewish community debated these issues publicly.

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Schiller, Mayer. "The Obligation of Married Women to Cover Their Hair." JHCS , 30, 1995, 81-108.
  2. ^ Jachter, "The Parameters of Kol Isha"
  3. ^ Cherney, Ben. "Kol Isha." JHCS. 10, pp. 57-75.
  4. ^ Clark, Eli D., "Mixed Seating at Weddings." JHCS. 35, 1998. pp. 28-61.

[edit] References

  • Elyakim Ellinson Women and the Mitzvot: The modest way. An extensive review of the laws of modesty including synagogue separation, mingling of the sexes, and women's dress. ISBN 1-58330-148-8.
  • Shmuley Boteach Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion and Intimacy Main Street Books, 2000, ISBN 0-385-49466-1. Written from a Modern Orthodox perspective.
  • Elliot N. Dorff This Is My Beloved: This Is My Friend: A Rabbinic Letter on Intimate Relations, The Rabbinical Assembly, 1996. Written from a Conservative Jewish perspective.
  • Rabbi Pesach Eliyahu Falk: "Modesty: an adornment for life". Phillip Feldheim, 1998. ISBN 0-87306-874-2. Encyclopedic work on Tzeniut, although considered quite stringent by some. Written from a Haredi Orthodox perspective.
  • Michael Gold Does God Belong in the Bedroom? JPS, 1992. Written from a Conservative Jewish perspective.
  • Gila Manolson: "Outside/Inside". Targum Press. ISBN 1-56871-123-9.
  • Gila Manolson: "The Magic Touch". Targum Press. ISBN 1-58330-102-X.
  • Wendy Shalit A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue Free Press, 2004, ISBN 0-684-86317-0
  • Berman, Saul J. "A History of the Law of Kol 'isha" (pdf) In: Rabbi Joseph H. Lookstein Memorial Volume. Leo Landman, Ed. Ktav, 1980.

[edit] External links


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