The Maharal writes: “The highest praise for a woman is recognition of her modesty. The highest level she can reach is modesty” (“Gevurot Hashem,” chapter 60).
In his well-known letter of guidance to his household, the Vilna Gaon, of blessed memory, addresses his mother as follows: “My beloved mother, I know that you do not need my guidance, for I know how modest you are!” He does not tell his mother that she needs no guidance because she is a righteous woman, or because she knows how to make concessions, or because she prays at length… He specifically emphasizes her modesty!
The need for modesty is clear even to those for whom it is not a strict rule. But for us, the Jewish people, the Torah commands modesty, and we are obligated to fulfill this commandment.
My mother was born and raised in America. When she turned sixteen, her father sent her to study at Bais Yaakov, founded in the Polish city of Krakow by the righteous Sarah Schenirer, may she rest in peace.
My mother was the only Bais Yaakov student who had come to Poland from America. The journey took about a month. At her father's request, a Jewish man who was also traveling to Poland looked after her along the way. Eventually, my mother found herself at the Krakow railway station, suitcase in hand, not understanding a word of Polish and able to speak only Yiddish or English. She hired a carriage driver and told him where to go… They rode and rode until they met a Jewish man who explained how to get to Bais Yaakov.
When she finally arrived, the whole school was in a tremendous stir. After all, a student had arrived from America! And there before her was the headmistress, the righteous Sarah Schenirer. My mother had always dressed modestly even in America, and she had dressed especially carefully knowing that she was going to Bais Yaakov. Yet the collar of her dress was slightly open.
After greeting her with “Shalom,” Sarah Schenirer took out a safety pin, pinned her collar closed, and said: “At Bais Yaakov, we do not compromise one iota on matters of modesty!”
Those were her first words.
My mother said that the students looked at the headmistress in astonishment. How could she do that?! She had only just arrived… And to spoil her dress with a pin right away?! But my mother explained: “I experienced a wonderful sense of spiritual uplift that is impossible to describe and that has stayed with me to this day!”
Regarding the verse “And the Almighty made garments of skin for the man and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis, 3:21), the Midrash says: “In Rabbi Meir's Torah it is written: garments of light” (Genesis Rabbah, 20:12).
One can dress in garments of skin, or in garments of light.
The word is the same (skin in Hebrew is – עור, light is – אור; these words are pronounced almost identically – translator's note). The eye sees garments of skin, but if a woman dresses for the sake of the Almighty, her clothing – her head covering, dress, stockings – all radiates light, brilliance, and beauty.
A modest woman is a light in her home, a light among the people of Israel. She illuminates the whole world.
to be continued