Reply To: Short Skirts

The Gemorah, Rambam, Shulchan Aruch and sh”ut seforim from ancient times down to modern seforim all talk about and discuss the obligations of women and what is and isn’t appropriate regarding dress, behavior and many other matters, on a wide spectrum. And all are authored by men. These halachic requirements and obligations are taught, learnt and discussed in yeshivos the world over, all populated by male rebbeim and male talmidim. It has been this was 2000 years ago through today, with no pause in between.

Men bear the halachic responsibility and obligation to to insure and enforce that their wives and daughters are always in compliance with these Torah and halachic obligations that they, as women, are duty-bound to adhere to. When a wife or daughter fails in these regards, it is the husband and father who rightfully bears blame.

The very idea that men aren’t supposed to discuss women issues and the laws relevant to them has no basis in Torah, Yiddishkeit or Halacha. It purely comes from modern Westernized thinking of the post-feminist movement. The pro-abortion arguments, in fact, are fully predicated on this modern foreign idea.

If Jewish men would abdicate their responsibility to insure that Hilchos Noshim are known and followed, compliance would undoubtedly go down 25 notches. Which is why rabbonim the world over keep impressing in their droshos to men (including often and importantly regarding tznius) the necessity to know and follow these obligations.