An unexpected question
See the comments.
posted by Shira Salamone at 1:23 PM
Monday, July 27, 2009
About Me
- Name: Shira Salamone
Once upon a time, I belonged to a left-wing egalitarian Conservative synagogue, where I was one of a number of women who wore a tallit—and one of the few members who used an Orthodox prayer book (adding the Mothers, of course). Having moved since then, I now belong to a right-wing traditional Conservative synagogue, where I’m almost always the only woman wearing a tallit—and one of the few members who adds the Mothers. I seem destined to be forever . . . on the fringe.
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9 Comments:
See next comment.
Please keep going.
Just 2 more.
Last one. Thanks for your patience.
This is one of my (in)famous "hidden posts," for which I hide the text in the comments where my co-workers can't see it without clicking, in the hopes of preserving what little is left of my anonymity as a blogger at the office.
The title of this post should really be "No b'rachah for the barefoot?
One of my Orthodox, yeshiva-educated co-workers asked *me*, of all people, whether it was permissible for her to pray in the presence of someone who was barefoot because "it isn't tznius (tzanuah, modest)." I pointed out that it wasn't possible that being barefoot wasn't modest, because, otherwise, why would G-d have ordered Moshe/Moses to take off his shoes on holy ground?
This post was actually written and published on Aug. 27, 2009.
In a nutshell, the breadth and depth of knowledge of Jewish law and/or other aspects of Jewish tradition exhibited by some of my yeshiva-educated Orthodox co-workers is quite impressive--and the ignorance exhibited by others is a source of complete and continuing astonishment to me.
Tolerance, dear Shira, tolerance. The answer to her question isn't as simple as you make it sound. That Moshe was barefoot before Hashem is largely irrelevant. Tzni'ut (in dress, at least) is very time and place dependent, with certain outer parameters. So, if this woman lives in a community where women always wear closed-toe shoes and stockings, a bare foot is, in fact, immodest.
This is not an ignorant question (albeit one I would't ask) and it is not easily solved by pointing to Biblical stories. By your answer, I could go marry myself a Midianite princess, but I'm fairly certain that would be against halacha (and my Jewish mother would kill me).
Methinks I didn't represent our conversation quite accurately--my co-worker's objection was that going barefoot was assur (forbidden), and my answer was that it is not only not assur, it's required in synagogue in some parts of the world (Morocco?). Going barefoot may not be considered tzanuah/modest in accordance with minhag ha-makom (the local custom), but I don't think that makes it assur. I mean, it's not as if she's marrying a Midianite prince. :) I think my co-worker may be exaggerating the importance of this particular custom. I may be wrong, of course, but I think it's more important to pray than to refrain from praying because of how the people among whom you're praying are dressed, assuming that nothing seriously egregious is going on. (I wouldn't davven on a nudist beach :).) Just keep your eyes in your siddur/prayer book.
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