NATIONAL COUNCIL OF YOUNG ISRAEL Shavuot Nation JEWISH EDITION Compiled by Gabi Weinberg Teen Program Director
Just Dress? Or is Tzniut something more? By Jacob and Penina Bernstein, Youth Directors at Fifth Avenue Synagogue What do you think Tzniut means? Think of a time when someone said the word tzniut to you. 1. What did you think it meant in the context of that specific conversation? 2. What did the person who said it meant in the context of that specific conversation? 3. What do you think tzniut generally means? 1. מיכה פרק ו:ח ה גּ יד ל ך אָד ם מ ה טּוֹב וּמ ה י ק ו ק דּוֹר שׁ מ מּ ך כּ י א ם ע שׂוֹת מ שׁ פּ ט ו אַה ב ת ח ס ד ו ה צ נ ע ל כ ת ע ם א ל קיך : Micah Chapter 6, Verse 8 8. He has told you O man, what is good! What does Hashem require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your G-d? Translation: Artscroll. 2. מלבי"ם מיכה פרק ו ונגד מה ה' דורש ממך אמר והצנע לכך עם אלהיך, מה שאתה צריך ללכת עם אלהיך, שזה שורש המצות שבין אדם למקום שילך עם אלקים, ללכת בדרכיו ולהתקדש בקדושתו, כמו שנאמר והייתם קדושים כי קדוש אני, זה יהיה בהצנע ובסתר, כי הם דברים שבינך ובין קונך...רק ילך בהצנע לכת עם אלקים: Malbim Micah Chapter 6, Verse 8: And regarding what does Hashem require of you, he said walking humbly with your G-d. What you need [to do to fufill G-d s requirement of you] is to walk with G-d, Since this is the essence of all mitzvot between man and G-d, that you should walk with G-d, [meaning] walk in his ways and become holy through this holiness. As it is written and you will become holy because I am holy. This [these actions and mitzvot] should be [done] in modesty and privately, because these are things that are between you and your G-d. Just walk humbly with G-d. 3. מצודת דוד מיכה פרק ו כי אם - רוצה לומר אין שום דבר כי אם לעשות משפט ולאהוב את הצדק וללכת עם אלקיך בדרכי מצותיו בצנעה לא בפרסום רב: Metzudat David Micah: Chapter 6, Verse 8 This means to say [that] there is nothing but to do justice, love kindness, and to walk with G-d in the ways of His mitzvot, humbly and not with a lot of publicity. 1
4. תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוכה דף מט עמוד ב אמר רבי אלעזר: מאי דכתיב והגיד לך אדם מה טוב ומה ה' דורש ממך כי אם עשות משפט ואהבת חסד והצנע לכת עם אלקיך. עשות משפט - זה הדין, ואהבת חסד - זו גמילות חסדים, והצנע לכת עם אלקיך - זו הוצאת המת והכנסת כלה לחופה. Babylonian Talmud - Succah 49b Rabbi Elazar says: What does it mean when it is written: He has told you O man, what is good! What does Hashem require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your G-d? Do justice - this is referring to laws. Loving Kindness - this is referring to acts of kindness, and Walking humbly with G-d this is referring to removing the dead, and bringing a bride to the chuppah. 4b. והלא דברים קל וחומר: ומה דברים שדרכן לעשותן בפרהסיא - אמרה תורה הצנע לכת, דברים שדרכן לעשותן בצנעא - על אחת כמה וכמה. And aren t these things a kal v chomer*: And for things who that are typically done in public [such as taking out the dead and bringing a bride to the chuppah], the Torah said they must be done by walking humbly, so too things that are typically done privately - all the more so! (*Kal V chomer is an a fortiori argument: when comparing X and Y, if X has a stringency when compared to Y, then the assumption is made when Y is stringent, X would be as well.) 5. רש"י מסכת סוכה דף מט עמוד ב דברים שדרכן לעשותן בצנעא - כגון צדקה הניתנת לעני בסתר שאין צריך להודיע לשום אדם, מה שאין כן במת ובכלה, לפי שאחרים מתעסקין בהן ויודעין היציאה משל מי, והיינו דאמר רבי אלעזר דכל מילי בעי צניעותא, והוא הדין לדברי תורה. Rashi s Commentary on Succah 49b Things that are typically done privately - such as charity which is given to the poor person in secret- are mitzvot where your involvement can remain anonymous. This is unlike helping with the cases of a dead person or a bride, since others deal with them and know whom the help came from. And this is why Rabbi Elazar said in all of these cases you need tzniut, and this is the same for divrei torah as well. 2
Just Dress? Or is Tzniut something more? Guide for Facilitators and Independent Study By: Jacob and Penina Bernstein, Youth Directors at Fifth Avenue Synagogue Goal of Session: While one might think that tzniut only applies to dress, this session will help the participants to understand how the idea of tzniut actually impacts all aspects of our religious observance. The mekorot included will re-examine the idea of tzniut, and will be utilized to instill a greater understanding as to the way one can accomplish hatzneyah lechet im elokecha. Introductory Questions: Think of a time when someone said the word tzniut to you. 1. What did you think it meant in the context of that specific conversation? 2. What did the person who said it meant in the context of that specific conversation? 3. What do you think tzniut generally means? Source 1 Goal of Source 1: The goal of this source is to re-examine the idea of tzniut through a pasuk from Sefer Micah. This pasuk is one of the main sources for tzniut, as the word hatzneyah arises in this source. As this source does not mention the classic understanding of tzniut as dress, it is a starting point for a conversation that is meant to raise questions about how tzniut can be incorporated into different parts of our lifestyle. Context of this Pasuk: This pasuk comes to highlight the difference between what Hashem expects of Bnei Yisrael, and what Bnei Yisrael believes is the proper way to serve Hashem. The previous pesukim are questions that Bnei Yisrael asked during Micah s time, such as will Hashem be appeased with many rams or with tens of thousands streams of oil? This pasuk comes to explain to Bnei Yisrael that what Hashem wants is not what they think, but rather that which is expressed in source 1. Bnei Yisrael at the time were consumed with the idea that korbanot were the most important way to serve Hashem, regardless of anything else. This pasuk comes to highlight the fact that Hashem is not considered only with korbanot, but that what Hashem really requires is the three things mentioned in the pasuk as that which is good. מיכה פרק ו:ח ה גּ יד ל ך אָד ם מ ה טּוֹב וּמ ה ה דּוֹר שׁ מ מּ ך כּ י א ם ע שׂוֹת מ שׁ פּ ט ו אַה ב ת ח ס ד ו ה צ נ ע ל כ ת ע ם א ל קיך : Micah Chapter 6, Verse 8 3
8. He has told you O man, what is good! What does Hashem require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your G-d? Translation: Artscroll. 1. If you could pause before Micah s answer, how would you have answered the question posed in the beginning of the pasuk? ( What is good? What does Hashem want from you? ) a. Follow-up Questions: How do our answers differ from Micah s answer? What might G-d have had in mind when choosing these three things in particular? 2. How does Micah describe the mitzvah of tzniut in this pasuk? a. What are some key words or clues we can focus on in this pasuk to help us gain a better understanding of tzniut in general? b. How can we understand the word tzniut from this pasuk, based on the context of these three desires of G-d? 3. Does this pasuk seem to refer to tzniut as being something only referring to dress? Discussion Ideas: Facilitator- Try to make sure that the following ideas come up in discussion. Ask additional questions to guide participants toward these ideas. The pasuk seems to make a broad statement that of all mitzvot in the Torah, these are the three most important for man to do. It seems a bit strange - we have so many mitzvot that seem to be more important (or at least ones we stress a lot more in general) before these! Some clues to pick up in the pasuk: Of the three ideas mentioned, humility is the only one that connects directly to G-d in the pasuk. The image of walking comes into play regarding humility. This idea connects to the idea of Vehalachta B derachav as well. All three of these categories seem to be general - they do not refer to specific situations or actions, as many of the mitzvot in the Torah usually do. We pointed out that the nevuah here is a response to Bnei Yisrael who feel that physical sacrifices will appease G-d. Micah points out that these three ideas (Doing Justice, Loving Kindness, and Walking Humbly with G-d) are what G-d truly wants, and that the sacrifices are not His true desires. Possible Answers for why these three areas were chosen: Participants should be encouraged to think of their own answers as well, as the answers below are only suggestions. These three ideas seem to be larger concepts of ways that man can become better, and perhaps that is what G-d wants from us - to become better people, in the process of fulfilling mitzvot. Doing justice does not specify methods or areas to focus on, but rather seems to provide a broader message for individuals as they interact with their society. Loving Kindness does not specify particular examples or even mean to do good deeds in the first place, but rather to love the 4
idea of doing good deeds for others. Based on this idea, tzniut should be seen as a larger idea - one that is not particular to specific circumstances, but rather something that is larger in scale. It is meant as a mindset of sorts to impact people in all of their lives. These three ideas specifically connect to G-d and our relationship with him. In general we have a mitzvah of following in G-d s ways, and here Micah is pointing out that G-d wants us to act with justice and mercy just as He acts. Justice and kindness seem to be conflicting ideas, in that justice seems to require an attitude of fair is fair, while kindness necessitates an attitude in which we ignore the fair and do good for good s sake. Just as Hashem acts with justice and nevertheless loves doing good for His children, we should strive to do the same. In this light, by mentioning that we should walk with G-d in a way of humility, it implies the same - just as G-d walks in humility, so should we! (In fact, by focusing on G-d s amazing abilities, like combing Mishpat and Chesed, we should be humbled by His greatness in our attempts.) Again though, by claiming that tzniut here refers to acting with humility as G-d would, the idea in this pasuk is a larger one that impacts all of life. Source 2 Goal of Source 2: After the lengthy conversations that you have had regarding the larger ideas of this pasuk and hatzneyah lechet, we will now look at a source that clearly shows that these phrases are not only specific ideas, but rather are general categories that serve as the basis for other mitzvot. The Malbim in this source is specifically commenting on our pasuk, and is interpreting Micah s statement of hatzneyah lechet as a response to the questions asked by the people mentioned in Micha s generation. מלבי"ם מיכה פרק ו ונגד מה ה' דורש ממך אמר והצנע לכך עם אלהיך, מה שאתה צריך ללכת עם אלהיך, שזה שורש המצות שבין אדם למקום שילך עם אלקים, ללכת בדרכיו ולהתקדש בקדושתו, כמו שנאמר והייתם קדושים כי קדוש אני, זה יהיה בהצנע ובסתר, כי הם דברים שבינך ובין קונך...רק ילך בהצנע לכת עם אלקים: Malbim Micah Chapter 6, Verse 8: And regarding what does Hashem require of you, he said walking humbly with your G-d. What you need [to do to fulfill G-d s requirement of you] is to walk with G-,since this is the essence of all mitzvot between man and G-d, that man should walk with G-d, [meaning] walk in his ways and become holy through this holiness. As it is written and you will become holy because I am holy. This [these actions and mitzvot] should be [done] in modesty and privately, because these are things that are between you and your G-d. Just walk humbly with G-d. What does the Malbim believe is the essence of all mitzvot between man and G-d? How should man act when actively building a relationship with G-d, and why? Clarifying Questions - make sure all participants understand what the Malbim said in at least a most basic form. 5
The why here requires that participants understand the Malbim s reasoning, beyond spitting back information. How does this Malbim connect to the discussion you were having earlier? Be sure to integrate this Malbim into the different positions participants took earlier in discussion. Does the Malbim s explanation work well with the fact that G-d chose this as one of three mitzvot that He wants mankind to fulfill? Does the Malbim limit or expand the role of hatzneyah lechet within our Jewish thought system, and how? This Malbim should be seen as taking tzniut away from its localized meaning, making it applicable to building a relationship with Hashem in general. In some ways this is seemingly limiting in the sense that this pasuk can no longer refer to all mitzvot - rather only ones that connect to building a relationship with G-d. Source 3 Goal of Source 3: Metzudat David is also commenting directly on this pasuk, and like Malbim, utilizes hatzneyah lechet in order to create a larger category and to explain a greater attitude that one should have during the performance of mitzvot. מצודת דוד מיכה פרק ו כי אם - רוצה לומר אין שום דבר כי אם לעשות משפט ולאהוב את הצדק וללכת עם אלקיך בדרכי מצותיו בצנעה לא בפרסום רב: Metzudat David Micah: Chapter 6, Verse 8 This means to say [that] there is nothing but to do justice, love kindness, and to walk with G-d in the ways of His mitzvot, humbly and not with a lot of publicity. According to Metzudat David, in what manner should man perform all mitzvot? Is hatzneyah lechet limited to dress? Clarifying question - make sure all participants understand that this source comes to explain that all mitzvot should be done in a manner that is private, without publicity and fanfare. How did Metzudat David understand our pasuk in Micah? Participants are being asked to recognize that Metzudat David is reinterpreting the pasuk to understand that the three main things that G-d wants from us is to do justice, love kindness, and to walk with G-d in the ways of His mitzvot (very general). Tzniut comes up here as a qualifying factor for all of these three ideals - they must be done privately. What are practical suggestions for incorporating this ideal into our daily lives? How would it affect our performance of mitzvot? This question is the beginning of a conversation about how one incorporates the idea of tzniut into his/her lives in practical way. Participants should be asked for examples, as well as explanations for how they think this additional requirement of 6
walking humbly with G-d will affect their performance of mitzvot. For example, will it limit them or will it enhance their performance of mitzvot? Source 4 Goal of Source 4: After discussing how hatzneyah lechet im elokecha is a general guideline for life, and is the basis for many other mitzvot, we will now discuss different practical examples of tzniut outside of dress to highlight the fact that it impacts many different areas of life. תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוכה דף מט עמוד ב אמר רבי אלעזר: מאי דכתיב והגיד לך אדם מה טוב ומה ה' דורש ממך כי אם עשות משפט ואהבת חסד והצנע לכת עם אלקיך. עשות משפט - זה הדין, ואהבת חסד - זו גמילות חסדים, והצנע לכת עם אלקיך - זו הוצאת המת והכנסת כלה לחופה. Babylonian Talmud - Succah 49b Rabbi Elazar says: What does it mean when it is written: He has told you O man, what is good! What does Hashem require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your G-d? Do justice - this is referring to laws. Loving Kindness - this is referring to acts of kindness, and Walking humbly with G-d this is referring to removing the dead, and bringing a bride to the chuppah. How does R Elazar understand the pasuk in Micah? Is this different or similar than the interpretations in earlier sources? Clarifying question - make sure all participants understand that on a basic level R Elazar provided an interpretation for the three ideals we have been discussing until now. His interpretation of the first two are basically the same as we understood them previously, but his explanation of walking humbly with G-d is very different than we discussed earlier. He provides two cases, burying the dead and assisting brides, as either being the only cases or representative cases of tzniut. Do you think R Elazar means that these examples are the only ones that apply for these sections of the pasuk? (i.e. Is the only way to walk humbly with G-d by assisting in the burial of the deceased and by helping brides in the process of their marriage?) At this stage in the Gemara (before reading its continuation below), R Elazar s examples could be the only ways to accomplish the mitzvah of tzniut or they could be representative of something larger. If they are the only two cases, we would have a lot to explain regarding clothing as tzniut and a more general ideal of walking humbly with G-d. If they are representative of something larger, we would have to explain what that would be and why R Elazar chose these two mitzvot to represent the larger mitzvah of tzniut. Why do you think R Elazar chose these examples to understand walking humbly with G-d? How can one be tzanuah when helping brides and by burying the dead? This can be understood in a number of different ways - allow participants to give their own explanations. These moments could be particularly challenging for tzniut 7
because of their public nature or they could be representative of extremes in life (good and bad experiences), which would mean that all cases are to be included in the mitzvah of tzniut. Any explanation here could work as long as it makes sense. Source 4 (cont.) והלא דברים קל וחומר: ומה דברים שדרכן לעשותן בפרהסיא - אמרה תורה הצנע לכת, דברים שדרכן לעשותן בצנעא - על אחת כמה וכמה. And aren t these things a kal v chomer*: And for things who that are typically done in public [such as taking out the dead and bringing a bride to the chuppah], the Torah said they must be done by walking humbly, so too things that are typically done privately - all the more so! (*Kal V chomer is an a fortiori argument: when comparing X and Y, if X has a stringency when compared to Y, then the assumption is made when Y is stringent, X would be as well.) What claim does the Gemara make here? This claim is based on what assumptions? Clarifying question - make sure all participants understand that the Gemara here is pointing out that just as these two examples (burying the dead and helping brides) are very public in nature, yet the Torah tells us to do them b tzinah, all the more so with things that are commonly done privately should be done b tzinah. Does this Gemara portion shed light on R Elazar s opinion above? Specifically, when R Elazar gave his examples - were those the only way to fulfill tzniut? The claim explained in the earlier question makes clear that tzniut is not only limited to the cases that R Elazar provided, but also many other cases. The cases provided earlier by R Elazar were representative of cases where it would be most difficult to be b tzinah due to their publicity, to make clear that the idea of tzniut applies in almost every mitzvah. Source 5 Goal of Source 5: Rashi comments on this Gemara and explores the fact that the gemara is talking about more than just these examples. He does this by explaining why R Elazar chose these examples and by expanding the topic to include other mitzvot. By including other mitzvot in the category of mitzvot that should be done b tzniut, Rashi expands the idea of tzniut to a general approach to life. רש"י מסכת סוכה דף מט עמוד ב דברים שדרכן לעשותן בצנעא - כגון צדקה הניתנת לעני בסתר שאין צריך להודיע לשום אדם, מה שאין כן במת ובכלה, לפי שאחרים מתעסקין בהן ויודעין היציאה משל מי, והיינו דאמר רבי אלעזר דכל מילי בעי צניעותא, והוא הדין לדברי תורה. Rashi s Commentary on Succah 49b Things that are typically done privately - such as charity which is given to the poor person in secret- are mitzvot where your involvement can remain anonymous. This is unlike helping with 8
the cases of a dead person or a bride [that must be public], since others deal with them and know whom the help came from. And this is why Rabbi Elazar said in all of these cases you need tzniut, and this is the same for divrei torah as well. According to Rashi, what mitzvot are involved in the mitzvah of tzniut beyond what is mentioned in the Gemara? All mitzvot are basically included under the purview of tzniut according to the Gemara, but Rashi specifically points out that tzedaka and talmud Torah would be included as well. What is another example that Rashi provides, which also requires tzniut? At the end of his explanation, Rashi seems to say that R Elazar intended on including all mitzvot in this idea of tzniut, and that everything can be done in a proper humble and/or modest way. He expands this idea of tzniut to learning Torah as well, which broadens what an idea that might have been connected only to actions to intellectual pursuits as well. What does it mean to be tzniut in a private mitzvah? How do the examples of tzeddakah and divrei Torah help us understand this idea? If we understand tzniut to mean that we do the mitzvot in private to avoid being seen, it would be difficult to explain what the Gemara meant when including them in the kal v chomer. It could be that private mitzvot simply should be done in a private manner as well, and we should capitalize on opportunities that we have to do public mitzvot in as private of manner as possible. Another possible explanation could be that being tzniut in private could mean to be humble within our own minds. Perhaps one should keep in mind when doing mitzvot that even though we are doing important and good things, we are still not not even close to as great as Hashem. When we walk next to God humbly in our mindset - our ego will be shadowed by His greatness. Conclusion Lasting Questions These questions are meant to be utilized as a summation for this session, and to help the participants apply the discussions mentioned in the session to their lives. Not all the questions are necessary for the summation, and each facilitator should decide which questions would be most appropriate and conducive for the participants involved. What mitzvot can you think of that can be done b tzniut? This discussion should not be limited to doing different mitzvot in a private setting, but rather should be expanded to include a discussion of the larger approach of tzniut, and how our lives can be shaped by the approach. Is it harder to do a public mitzvah or a private mitzvah b tzniut? 9
How do you think doing a mitzvah b tzniut impacts the performance of the mitzvah? How does it make you feel while doing the mitzvah? From our discussion, what is the relationship between tzniut in a dress forum and tzniut as we discussed today? How can our understanding of tzniut in general impact our conceptions of tzniut as dress? Caution: Tzniut as dress can often be a difficult topic to discuss, especially when there are age ranges and when one in a co-ed setting. Each facilitator should judge on his/her own the best way to handle and formulate this question and its subsequent discussion. Do you feel that tzniut is something that can help define a mitzvah being done or is it a separate mitzvah to do? Do you think that tzniut is something that can shape other areas of life - beyond mitzvot? 10