[Avodah] Why Jewish Women should NOT wear a Burka

[Micha Berger]

I presume the original question was based on the observation that
before we realize we should assess the situation, we already have a
strong opinion. That makes our analysis suspect; would we agree
without such a predisposition, or are we post-facto justifying an
emotional response due to the associations we have with burqas.

Simply saying it's insane or absurd is insufficient.



I agree with RJJBaker's raising the issur of yuhara.

A chumrah that goes way overboard in terms of personal cost vs avoided
issur is likely to be yuhara.

I would suggest that the story highlights the fact that the word
tzeni'us has two meanings. Originally, it referred to not calling
undue attention to oneself, trying to avoid the spotlight. Because sex
is such an attention getter, that grew to include covering ervah. But
whether or not my suggestion that covering ervah is a derived, non
primary meaning of the word, the basic point stands: not drawing
attention to oneself and covering ervah are distinct ideas, both
called tzeni'us.

Here is a case where people go to such extent to cover ervah that they
do draw undue attention to themselves. Ironically, by being tzanu'os,
they are violating tzeni'us (switching meanings of the word
midsentence).

Which is why it qualifies as yuhara rather than permissable chumrah.
Because it is so attention getting, one has to wonder if the intention
is "holier than thou".

In the Rambam's era, where a rav has to tell his followers not to
follow cultural norm and allow their wives out of the home to see
their followers occasionally, perhaps the answer would be different.
For all I know, a burqa was already common-place, and wouldn't draw
attention.

IIRC, yuhara is not based on personal attitude. IOW, that it's yuhara
to do something that others will assess as trying to be "holier than
thou" even if your motives are otherwise. So the question of whether
their motivation is lishmah, or some anorexic-like need for control of
one's body image really shouldn't impact the above.


As for the quote that a woman's entire body is ervah, once you remove
the reporter's insertion, I can't know if she is simply wrong, or
exagerating men's sexual responses.

If the latter... Taqanos aren't made to address miutim. (And we must
admit that hirhurim problems caused by the seeing a woman's ear would
only be for a mi'ut of men.) That limitation could well not be true of
chumros. But there is no cost:benefit analysis here -- to change one's
whole life over avoiding that miut?

If the former, I'm reminded of the pasuq "lo am haaretz chassid".

BTW, the sakanas nefashos aspect of wearing a burqa anywhere near an
Israeli street (or most streets) or staircase (Israeli stone
staircases, to boot) is not to be minimized.

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "Man wants to achieve greatness overnight,
micha at aishdas.org        and he wants to sleep well that night too."
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