Devar/5771/Vayeshev
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< Devar | 5771
עברית
English
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face (Gen 38:15)
In the Muslim world, the custom in many places is that women cover their faces. In some places, the custom is to clothe their entire body from their head down to their toes with an all-encompassing garment. All of this, in accord with their notions of modesty.
We do not have such an extreme custom. Rather, what do we do? Modest Jewish women cover their bodies with garments which cover most of their skin, and married women also cover their hair. But covering a woman's face is almost unheard of among us, except for those Jewish women who came from Arab lands who used to cover their faces with a sort of very light veil, as was the custom in the lands from which they came.
In terms of the Law: these sorts of matters go according to local custom. …in a place where only women wear those sorts of clothes, or that kind of jewelry; all according to the local custom (Laws of Idolatry 12:11). Regarding modesty itself: these are the things, which if a woman did one of them she would be transgressing the Jewish manner: if she went out to the marketplace or to a thoroughfare, and her hair is uncovered and she is not wearing a veil like other women, even though she does have a kerchief… (Laws of Women 24:11). That is, in a place where most Jewish women go out with head coverings, any Jewish woman must also do so.
In our verse, Judah sees a woman with a covered face and thinks she is a harlot. That is, a licentious woman who covers her face so she won't be recognized. Such a woman negates that which is unique to her, and presents herself as a body and nothing more. Therefore the Muslims behave as they do, and we do not. Because despite the fact that All glorious is the king's daughter within the palace (Psa 45:14), we do not consider a woman to be a captive or a prisoner -- and those women who recently began to cover themselves with burka-like garments do not increase their modesty as they imagine they do, and perhaps the opposite.
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