As an aside, there is a brief enumeration of some of the
ways that woman’s physical exposure constitutes sexual excitement. A woman’s
leg, a woman’s voice, a woman’s hair, all these have led to restrictions – covering
up - in traditional Judaism. The principle of tzinut or “modesty” has
seen women fully cover their limbs, hide their hair under shawls or wigs, and
temper their voices (the last being among the reasons that women were excluded
from being Cantors
until the 20th century).
What is usually left out of these discussions, though, is
the fact that the text places the emphasis on the one who “gazes” (presumably
the man). “If one gazes at the little finger of a woman, it is as if he gazed
at her secret place.” The man is presumed to have the responsibility to control
himself. Leering is the problem, not exposure.
Except for the married man, when he sees his wife. Presumably that kind of arousal is not a bad thing!
No comments:
Post a Comment