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And a veil on either side of it

שו”תCategory: HalachaAnd a veil on either side of it
asked 2 years ago

The Rabbi claims that modesty is a function of what is acceptable. But Rashi in Gittin 2: seemingly means otherwise. The Gemara says “and from both sides of it” is a characteristic of a bad person. And Rashi explains and from both sides of it:
“Among the nobles of her hands, like the red-haired women of France, whose flesh is visible from their sides:”
In other words, what was common in France among the Gentiles was to walk around naked below the arms, and yet Rashi perceives this as immodest (a matter pertaining to modesty). It seems to follow from this, according to Rashi, that modesty is not related to what is common in the place, but to the matter itself (whether the flesh is exposed or not).


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0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 2 years ago
For some reason, I missed this question. I never said anywhere that everything that is acceptable is modest. I said that modesty depends on norms. Therefore, one should not conclude from my words that there is no such thing as an immodest society. Of course there is. My argument is that determining what is modest and what is not should be done by arbiters who live within the society in question because the indicators are a function of the norms.

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