Q&A: Avoiding Immodest Sights
Avoiding Immodest Sights
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I am troubled by my question.
To what extent is a person obligated to keep himself away from contact with this world in order not to encounter women who are not dressed modestly?
Today, as is well known, women’s clothing culture is extremely revealing, and it is found everywhere.
Is it permitted to watch a movie in which there is a very real possibility that there will be a woman without sleeves? In pants / a short skirt? etc.?
Should one avoid going to university because of the above? Watching YouTube videos in which women appear, meeting with friends, workplaces, etc.?
Answer
In my humble opinion, there is no obligation to avoid it if this is the normal way of the world. The Torah was not given to ministering angels, and a person is permitted (and in my opinion it is even preferable) to conduct himself in the accepted way of the world and not separate from society into the wilderness. We likewise find that Maimonides recommended that someone who cannot avoid speaking slander should flee to the wilderness, yet we have not heard of anyone doing so or recommending that others do so.
And it seems that the basis of the matter is the rule of “it is impossible and he does not intend it,” in tractate Pesachim. There we see that if a person goes about in his normal way and on the way is forced to encounter a prohibition, there is no prohibition in that, and he is not obligated to avoid it unless there is another route that is shorter. See there carefully. Within the following thread there is a short discussion of this:
https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%96%D7%A7%D7%AA-%D7%A1%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%9E%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%92%D7%93%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99-%D7%94/
My answer to all your questions, in the end, is that there is no obligation whatsoever to avoid all of this.