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Tzniut: The Interplay between Dress Code and Internality

Riva Kent

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To those looking in from the outside, Orthodox Jewish life can often look like it is made up of endless restrictions and limitations, a perpetual list of โ€˜canโ€™t do this, canโ€™t do that.โ€™ Just because we may live a frum life doesnโ€™t mean that weโ€™re immune to this way of thinking, especially when it comes to the area of tzniut. This article attempts to reframe this jaded perspective and explore the topic through new lenses.

The first thing to point out is that there is no commandment in the Torah – โ€œthou shalt cover up thy body.โ€ In the following verse, which is the best-known mention of the root ืฆ-ื -ืข, the idea of tzniut a) doesnโ€™t refer to clothing and b) is framed in the positive, as something we should do as opposed to referring to something which isnโ€™t allowed:

ื”ึดื’ึดึผึฅื™ื“ ืœึฐืšึธึ› ืึธื“ึธึ–ื ืžึทื”ึพื˜ึผึ‘ื•ึนื‘ ื•ึผืžึธึฝื”ึพื”’ ื“ึผื•ึนืจึตึฃืฉื ืžึดืžึฐึผืšึธึ— ื›ึดึผึฃื™ ืึดืึพืขึฒืฉื‚ึคื•ึนืช ืžึดืฉึฐืืคึธึผื˜ึ™ ื•ึฐืึทึฃื”ึฒื‘ึทืช ื—ึถึ”ืกึถื“ ื•ึฐื”ึทืฆึฐื ึตึฅืขึท ืœึถึ–ื›ึถืช ืขึดืึพืึฑืœึนืงื™ืšึธืƒ    

โ€œHe has told you, O man, what is good, And what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice

And to love goodness, And to walk modestly with your God; (Micha 6:8)

As with many Hebrew words, the intricacies of what tzniut is is frequently lost in translation since the word doesnโ€™t have an exact parallel in English. The two words that seem to be the best fit are โ€˜modestyโ€™ and โ€˜dignity.โ€™ Tzniut, first and foremost, is a character trait – being someone who is dignified and modest, and this is something that we have to constantly work toward and aspire to perfect. We will get to the area of the halachot relating to dress, but it is noteworthy to point out that they are an offshoot from this midda, a practical manifestation of it. The midda of being a tzanua person is the primary emphasis of tzniut. 

If tzniut is a midda, we could ask, what is the need for this practical manifestation of the halachot relating to dress? Why isnโ€™t it enough to work on feeling dignified and acting in such a way without having to, in some cases, completely transform our wardrobe?

To answer these questions, let us understand what the notion of dressing in a certain way – specifically covering up certain parts of our body – is supposed to achieve. The philosopher Isaiah Berlin made a distinction between two concepts, which he termed โ€˜negative freedomโ€™ and โ€˜positive freedom.โ€™ The former refers to the freedom from interference or constraints, whereas the latter refers to the freedom to achieve one’s potential. We find a similar idea expressed in Tehillim (34:15) ืกึฃื•ึผืจ ืžึตึญืจึธืข ื•ึทืขึฒืฉึตื‚ื”ึพื˜ึ‘ื•ึนื‘ – Turn from evil and do good. The idea is that without freedom from certain obstacles, we are hindered in our ability to exercise meaningful choices and pursue our goals. Without first turning away from and negating those things that are holding us back, we arenโ€™t able to actualize ourselves and attain the positive things that we are striving towards. Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller-Gottlieb sums up this idea in Rabbi Anthony Manningโ€™s book titled Reclaiming Dignity:

In order to make meaningful choices, you have to learn that you can choose to say no, both to yourself and to others. This means that you have to constrain your freedom consciously.

In Torah thought, we recognize the existence of two opposing forces – the guf and the neshama. At any time, one of these forces will be dominant and the other subservient. When we place preeminent focus on the body, the neshama takes a back seat. It becomes muted and suppressed, and once it becomes suppressed, it can be, for all intents and purposes, denied. We become de-sensitized to the notion of the neshama to the extent that we no longer even recognize its existence. 

Tying this back to the topic of dress, in order to manifest the midda of tzniut, we first need to grant expression to the internal, pnimiut, part of ourselves, and that means shifting the focus away from our bodies. As Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky explains in Reclaiming Dignity:

The true significance, the real gravitas of a person or object, is the essence of the person or object. This essence is never apparent on the surface; it is hidden away from casual observation.

Does modest dress restrict? The simple answer would be yes. But that is just an objective statement free from any value judgment. Our attitude towards the concept of restriction really depends on the interpretive framework through which we view it

We have to draw attention away from externality to reveal that which is hidden below the surface. Thus the idea of concealing is really in order to reveal – we hide the guf in order to reveal the neshama (to the greatest extent we can). Covering up is a means of saying, โ€œMy body is a part of me, but it doesnโ€™t define me. Itโ€™s not the source of my identity, and itโ€™s not where I want your attention to fall on.โ€ Dressing in a modest way allows us to affirm who we are by disaffirming what we are not.

Does modest dress restrict? The simple answer would be yes. But that is just an objective statement free from any value judgment. Our attitude towards the concept of restriction really depends on the interpretive framework through which we view it. Do we view certain curtails to our complete and unfettered freedom as constraining or freeing? If our attitude is that we should be able to express ourselves however we like and have the ability to do whatever we want, then itโ€™s fairly self-evident what the answer to that question will be. 
Instead of looking at tzniut as something that is prohibiting and restricting us, let us make a paradigm shift and start seeing it as something that enables us – granting us dignity, freedom, and the ability to actualize ourselves and achieve true self-expression.

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