Modesty: Then and now

A POST BY DOVBEAR

In a great comment, our friend MarkSofla uses information he aquired while studying the heiliga daf yomi to show that Judaism has just about lost its mind when it comes to modesty.

After observing that Jewish woman today are exhorted to abandon the standards of the last generation and embrace further and further accumulations of piety he identifies what may be the starting point. As per BT Brachos it was once no cause for concern if a woman wanted to take challa while undressed. There is no gloss along the lines of a "pious woman would never do this" Or, "such a thing never hapened. It is only asked to teach a point." Instead the question is matter of factly asked and answered: Can she do this? Yes she can.

Now I don't suggest that the daughters of israel routinely baked in their birthday suits only that the question could not have been asked -- and certainly not with that tone -- today. Something, clearly, has changed.

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