Rav Kook: The Beuaty of Tzniut, muilot HaRa’aya | Rabbi Aaron Goldsheider | May 27 2026

Let me begin with the uh just the sponsor for our sheer. And this is our regular sponsor. And we thank that sponsor very much. The sponsorship of the 2026 academic year the ilui nishmas Miriam bas Avraham a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h a'h zichrono livracha. All right, we uh we continue this morning. We have the honor to continue our learning of the beautiful sefer Middos Teraya. Those that have been with us from the beginning of the year, we've been making our way through this sefer. Uh you see at the very top of the page number 15. It's 15 of 18 different middot. So, our timing is good. Here we are moving into uh the end of May, the month of June, coming to the end of the year, and uh b'ezras Hashem we will have seen a uh a good part, a large portion of uh of the sefer going through 18 middot of Rav Kook that he speaks about that he highlights. Again, which was um um the sefer was was put together by his son Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook. And today we're going to look at the following topic, which is a very very interesting topic. And you might see it at the very top of the page, and I would say it's a middah, it's a character trait that um that somewhat goes against the culture that we live in. You know, there are certain traits that may be a little bit easier, they kind of fit fit the culture. If you talk about chesed that we should be people of chesed, that should be a middah, I think everybody everybody everyone would agree, and culture around us, society around us would be on board with that as well. We should be humble, society would say yes, we should be humble. But we're going to look at a topic which I think is is a challenging topic today in the culture and society that we live in, and that is the topic of tznius, of modesty. And I find it interesting that Rav Kook includes this in the safer midot Raya of 18 midot where it to ask you think about 18 midot that are fundamental that are most in the most important midot for a Jew would you think of sneut as one of them? I think you would think of chesed we spoke about and and anava and ahava and sneut being one of those one of those all important midot character traits of a of a Jew of a person. So let us take a look at Rav Kook the way that he presents this idea of sneut and this is the one teaching that he has on sneut in the safer midot Raya again certain midot he has a number of teachings he'll have one or two sometimes even 10 15 on one particular topic on this topic this is the one the one idea that that that Rav Kook expresses in the safer midot Raya. So let's take a look at this a very very beautiful teaching from Rav Kook and we'll we'll we'll expand on it and try to understand and analyze this idea and how it and how it speaks to us that's I think that's that's something that we have to keep in mind as we as we learn these midot these are not just hypothetical they're not just philosophical ideas but how do how to bring them this certainly what Rav Kook had in mind and receive you the cook his son in writing the safer how do we bring these ideas in into our lives into our avodat Hashem our service of Hashem. So let's take a let's take a look at the words of Rav Kook midot sneut this midot of sneut and again you have it here I'll read it from the Hebrew the translation is is below and it's from a new translation just came out I mentioned this just Rabbi Josh Gerstein who's a rabbi here in Israel just recently the last couple of months he just came out with a full translation and with with notes on the book midot are Raya. Me that that's new the meter of modesty go remote to vote robot bellum. It brings great things to the world. Who me talk off and because of that he's a whole heart. Because you that is so important. There are times that it pushes off. It overrides that it trumps certain other good things. Now we'll see what he means by that. She made me but because the of a person is a very strong the whole heart and there are times that we are weak in this area. We may come to break through. We may come to transgress in this area and this meter of modesty. And says of cook what is modesty and she he it's the very foundation which is really quite a striking comment to make that when you talk about it's a foundational principle of this world our spiritual world the whole heart rate and the physical realm or the physical world as well. Okay, let's read on now and we continue. Again, this is all one piece. Me that When we think about the importance and the character trait of loving one another the friendship that we have with one another the whole heart and all of their expressions that and all the beautiful ways in which we speak to one another and the relationships that we have with one another through dialogue the communication we have with one another. I am really old you would think that it would be equal between the genders. Meaning that we would not make a distinction in the way that we speak to a man or the way that we speak to a woman. But there is going to be a distinction and here he's going to quote from the following the following halakha which we'll see in a moment. Aval mipnei yikarut erekh tzniut but because tzniut is so yakar, because it's so precious, the idea of modesty and maintaining modesty between the genders nitchet midat derekh eretz. There are times that even derekh eretz is pushed to the side mimakomah. And now he gives us what is he referring to? He's going to refer to the following halakha. As she lo lishol bishlom ishah that there is a halakha and I'll and we'll see it we'll see it right now not to send regards to a person's wife. There is the halakha says Shulchan Aruch writes the following and I'll I'll quote it to you. We'll see it in a moment that I'm not supposed to say to a a married couple to the man, "Please send my best to your wife." That's what the Shulchan Aruch says. Now some of you are kind of like, "Well well what do you mean? What do you mean you're not supposed to do that?" Well that's what the halakha says. Let me put it this way. Let me let me just change the language just a little bit. Please send my love to your wife. Now would you would you say that may maybe that's the don't say send my love cuz what does that mean? The husband is now hearing from this guy that he's sending love to my wife. And by the way this guy who's sitting next to his wife says, "Please send my love to your wife." Now how does she feel? Right? In other words the your wife just heard you say to this other couple, "Please send my love my warmest you know regards to your wife. The Allah says you're not supposed to do that. Now, why not? And here of cook points out that there are times even though generally that's Derek Hertz, even though that's you did do even though isn't that just a beautiful friendship and a warmth? What who said no? Right, so no. The answer is no. I remember when I was my first rabbinic position I was in I was in Jacksonville, Florida. That was my first full my full-time rabbinic. And I remember speaking to a group of men about this this topic. And there was an issue of sending regards. It was just the issue of how did by the way in the in the secular world or in the non-religious world when couples get together, let's say they're getting together for dinner, how do they greet one another at dinner? Like you're sitting down to dinner with another couple. You kiss and hug one another. That's correct. The husband is kissing the wife of the other man. Not just sending regards. Like the common practice is that you kiss the other. So here's a husband married and you're kissing Right, you're you're embracing and kissing another woman, a married woman. Now, how does it make the wife feel? And what does that mean in terms of that, you know, sense of modesty between this man who's married with somebody else? So that I think we would all agree, you know, that's you know, that that you've you know, you've you've gone too far. Right, that you shouldn't be doing. But the Allah says you shouldn't be doing this either. Let me just read to you the Allah itself. And this Allah is found in Shulchan Aruch. The Shulchan Aruch says ain't show up in the Shalom club. I feel I you they shall be off. There is you shouldn't be sending regards to somebody else, another woman, a feel I you they be Allah even through the husband. I surely show up not the very show me. Right, you should not be sending regards to a wife. Say, "Please send my regards. Please send my love to your wife." I will move this all the way But you can ask the husband, how is she doing? Now there's but that that direct sending of regards, sending of my love, that is that's problematic. Now just as we're on this topic, so the rabbi that just taught, many of you were just here, Rabbi Anthony Manning, so he's a he's eminent talmid chacham, very very special rabbi, and he recently in the last couple of years wrote a book on tznius, on modesty. The name of the book, it's a big book, it's like a 500-page book. The first half of the book are articles, about 20-30 articles, mostly from from women, about modesty, about the issue of tznius, and and he points out by the way that generally, as soon as you hear the word tznius, then especially especially women, when they hear the word tznius, what's the reaction to it? What? Clothing, good clothing, which okay, and what else? Just more like emotional. Is there like a positive Is there like a positive or is there is that like a little bit of a is already like a negative connotation? Yeah, yeah. It's interesting. So there's already a little bit of like a negative tone to it. I don't know how you felt when I said the word tznius. Like is that Okay, great, let's let's jump into tznius, or people are like, okay, here's a rabbi telling another rabbi telling me about about modesty and that I'm not modest enough or whatever may be. So that that's what he writes in the beginning of the book, that there is there's a little bit of a a negative tone around it or negative feeling around it. Um the name of the book is Reclaiming Dignity. I have that here in the page, Reclaiming Dignity. It became a very popular book. It again, it just came out in the last two or three years, and all the yeshiva, like if you go to the the women's seminaries, they're all reading it. It's like at every at every makom, every woman is is reading and it's a great book. And the second part of the book, like 200 pages on is on the hilchos tznius, and that's what Rabbi Manning deals with. And it's it's an exceptional exceptional work. I was I was reading it a bit over the as I was you know preparing for this class. And I'll just bring you the following. This is on top the top of page two. Just a little bit about this Halakha because I see it's it's actually it's that people people are kind of like wondering what this is about. But okay, so this is the Halakha in Shulchan Aruch. It's something that is not done. So here he writes the following. And here he he kind of like tones it down a little bit. How does the Halakha I'm looking at page two. How does this Halakha apply in contemporary society? The Aruch Hashulchan, which is considered a more contemporary work of Halakha explains that the reason for the prohibition was the concern that through the exchange of greetings the man could develop an inappropriate closeness with this married woman. Okay? In other words, that's that's concern. I think we we we all are sensitive to that idea. On that basis he clarifies there was never any Halakha concern with a simple good morning, but only with a message that communicates closeness and personal feelings Kiruv Da'at Vava. So here he quotes the Aruch Hashulchan and kind of tones it down a bit. Maybe you could say send regards as long it's not something that is you know send my love to your wife or using some language that's more a loving language. He also understands that there was never a general Halakha prohibition of men and women speaking to each other. Though it's talking to one another that's that's not an issue. Indeed the principle of Derech Eretz often require polite interactions. He concludes with the principle of the Ritba that we saw above that in these types of situations everything depends on the honest intentions of the individuals and their ability to interact without creating an inappropriate overtone or giving rise to improper sexual thoughts. Okay, so here kind of takes a step back. You know, a situation needs to be I guess, looked at as uh in an honest way. We have to be honest with ourselves and the way that we uh the way that we are interacting, but we do have this halakha that is stated in Shulchan Aruch. Rav Kook is stating the halakha here as well, that generally when we talk about love, yedidut, and friendship, yes, that's a very beautiful thing, but when it comes to friendship between man and woman, the genders, so there the halakha is concerned and and tznius, the basic idea of tznius is one that we that we need to take very seriously. And by the way, and I'll, you know, I'll I'll I'll say it as as as we're beginning discussion, it's one of the most beautiful aspects of Jewish life, of religious life, of our community, of the shalom bayit in our community. And it's one of the issues that's plaguing society otherwise, where there isn't tznius. Right, where there isn't tznius in in dress, in the way that we interact with one another. And, you know, I don't need to tell you like what the what general culture looks like today and what that has done to family life, to married life, to children, to society. And I think this is what Rav Kook means when he says that this is foundational, shehi keyumo shel haolam, that this is something that's at the very foundation of of life, of what it means to to have community and to have married life and to have and to have a structure in which we uh in which we live in with that sense of modesty, which brings about, you know, there there there great and beautiful uh repercussions of that. There was a a hand or two, let me just take a question. Yeah. Does it go the other way, kind of? Yeah, does it go the other way? I'm not The halakha doesn't say doesn't put it the other way, but uh so I'm not sure. I'm not sure. The halakha states it in in that direction. I imagine that direction is a bit more, again, we we tend to be and when it comes to issues of modesty that the men side on the men side is a bit more is more of the issue. You know, why is it that in a shul where you have a mechitza? A mechitza, by the way, is a good example of tznius as well. And particularly, so why is it that men often you have the a balcony where women can look down on the men, but you wouldn't have it the other way? In other words, that the men are looking down towards the women. In other words, we're more There there is more concern in halakha and understandably of the men on the men side in terms of that the that the man needs to be more careful in this area. The yetzer hara and the just the natural inclination regarding a man towards a woman seems to be um a more dangerous area than than the other way than than women towards men. Yes. Right. Right. Yes. Yeah, that's new right right the tznius of the woman. Yes. Yes, that it's a good example, beautiful example. One of the first one of the first and with with Avraham and Sarah that there's already that the Torah points out its tznius. Beautiful. Beautiful. So, let's take it one Let's take a look at the one more line from um We'll read it through. We'll read it to the to through the very end of of Rav Kook's piece. So, we're in that third paragraph now. Where it says hatzanua. Third paragraph. Hatzanua makir that tzanuah recognizes what where? Oh, so we're I'm sorry, we're back right back to page one. We kind of we took a little bit of a detour once we hit that the topic of sending regards to a to a person's wife. Now, let Yeah, let's come back to the the text of the original text of Rav Kook in Midot HaRa'aya. At Sanua Makir, that's Sanua, the one who is modest, recognizes Kilomi Pinei Sin Ah Al Hamin. It's not that there's animosity or prejudice towards a gender. Humitraheq Ve'oseh Gedarim. That's not why there are those distancing and that we make Gedarim and that we make fences. There was not that the women are up there in the in the balcony or they're on the other side because, you know, we think less of women. That's not That's not what it's all about, as we all know. Ki Im Mipnei HaTzahalit HaKlalit HaYafah. Because there is a goal, because there's a beautiful purpose in modesty, in those separations, right? In the distancing that we have. Distancing that we have the example of even the way that we speak, even the sending of regards, and the way that we interact with one another. I mean, and as as we know, every community kind of addresses this differently. In the more Haredi world, you're talking about separation at a Simcha, so you'll have an entrance for women, an entrance for men. The Mechitza, clearly, that you have Gedarim, where you have the the the genders, you know, far from one another, that they're not interacting with one another. A Kiddush on Shabbat morning, certain shuls will have the Kiddush, women on one part, or maybe even on the other side of the Mechitza, and men on the other. Certain shuls will have it together, again, depending on the community that one is in. But the idea of modesty is something that is that's something that we must take into account, and something that is you know, fundamental to to Jewish life, and is the beauty of the beauty of Jewish life. You know, there was in the I don't know, the last It's It's been around for a while. The the Conservative movement, the Reform movement, they have women women rabbis and women chazzan chazzanim as well. Right? We're I'm sure we're we're all familiar with that. Right? Women chazzanim. So, they argue like why should we not have, you know, the same rights as a man, you know, to lead a service to to lead davening that there should that the women should be able to do that as well. And I've seen recently the advertisements for they'll have like women canters like giving a concert. And the title is the the diva or divas on the bema, the diva on the bema. And that's the title of the of their concert. Now, a diva, I don't know if you know that word. A diva is like What's a diva? Yeah, but uh Yeah, but it's also like a but it's about a star, right? It's about like a beautiful like a beautiful woman. Right? A star. So, that's not the way that we think about a chazzan, right? That's not the way that we think about what it means to lead davening. And that that that's the concern, you know, the concern is like once you break through that gether, right? These gedarim, so there there can be a breakdown. And that's And this area again, so this is as Rav Cook says and as we all know that this is a fundamental principle how important this is and how beautiful the beauty that this brings to to Jewish life. Lifnei Adam Takli Taklali Hayafa. There's something so beautiful about a community that has, again, every community in their own way, but has these gedarim, has these sensitivities of of of tznius. Okay. There's one more paragraph. We won't get into that right now. The last paragraph. And he speaks about this is not only true in the area modesty in terms of of men and women, but it's also true in terms of thought as well and what we study that there requires a certain modesty in in that there shouldn't be openness to to all ideas and to every avenue of study. But that's not going to we will will leave that for for another time. Let's turn Let's turn the page now. And I wanted to share another example when Rav Kook says that the ideal of tzniut is such an important ideal that at times it pushes off other values or other priorities. When there's a clash between certain priorities, what is what what wins out? And again, he brought an example where wins out derech eretz, how beautiful it is, you know, to speak to one another, to send regards, but there are times that tzniut overrides, that it trumps that value. So here we have the following Gemara, and this is this past week we read at least in Eretz Yisrael we read parshat Naso that has the sotah. And here the Gemara says the following. This is Gemara in Chullin 141a. The Amora'im says mar gadol shalom shebein ish le'ishto, how important it is that there's peace between a man and a woman. Sharei Amra Torah shem Moshe Hakadosh Baruchu she nichtav bikdusha yimache al hamayim. What does the Gemara say? As part of that sotah water that she drinks, that mayim, what is placed in it? One of the items that's placed inside is the name of God. Is the name of God that you take the name of God and yimache al hamayim, that it's taken and it's erased, that you break down the name of God, you destroy the name of God, it's placed in the water, and with that name of God in the water that she drinks the water, and then that water has the the appropriate effect. But what does the Gemara say? The Gemara says for the sake of shalom bayit, for the sake of husband and wife, in this area of modesty absence and to ensure that there is shalom bayit, that there is a relationship, a marital relationship that potentially we can bring back together, that God says you can take my name and that great transgression of erasing God's name, of being mocha, of erasing God's name, take my name, you can destroy it for this purpose, for the ideal of shalom bayit, for the the ideal of marriage. So, I think this is another beautiful example of the idea of what we're Cook points out that there are times that other values, and here the value of of God's name and the holiness of God's name, that God says break down my name, destroy my name, how important it is the value of marital peace, of married life, of a community where there's where there's snihut, where there's modesty. So, where do we see this idea? And I was thinking about it, where do we see the idea of snihut in the Torah? You brought a very good example, beautiful example going going back to Avram and Sarah, that she's in the tent, modesty. So, one of the places, yeah, do you want to share? We just said it in Ruth. Oh, in Ruth, okay, good, nice. Good, beautiful. So, we can find examples. Here I want to share the following example, which we don't always take note of, and it's found in the Sh'ma itself, in Kriyat Sh'ma. Now, we know that Kriyat Sh'ma, when we talk about the mitzvah of Kriyat Sh'ma, we're talking about a mitzvah where we have the fundamental principles of of Jewish life, of belief in God, we spoke about the other week, loving Hashem, right, the very and and mezuzah and tefillin, the very and of learning Torah and of passing down the tradition to our children, the shinantam levanecha. So, we have the basic principles of of Jewish life. Now, we know that Kriyat Sh'ma is three paragraphs. The third paragraph of the Sh'ma, what is contained in the third paragraph of the Sh'ma, and why is that paragraph included as part of Kriyat Shema. So, here you have you have the paragraph on the bottom of the page, but let us go to the top of page three. The third page that you have, or maybe the second page, but it says three on top. And this is the Gemara in Berakhot, Gemara [snorts] in Berakhot daf yud bet amud alef. Page 12a, and it asks the following question, which is a question you may have never asked, but it's a really good question to ask. And that is, why do we have that third paragraph of Kriyat Shema? What is important about that paragraph? Why did Chazal choose that paragraph of all the paragraphs of the Torah to include that in Kriyat Shema? So, let me read to you the uh what the Gemara says. You have it on the top of the page. You have it on the left side in Hebrew and translation. Parshat Tzitzit, Parshat Tzitzit, the third paragraph of the Shema, "Bimnei Mah Kiva'uha?" Why was it established? Why was this placed as part of Kriyat Shema? "Amar Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba, "Bimnei she yesh bah chamishah devarim." So, he says, you know, it's not so simple. There's actually a lot there. There are a lot of different themes that the sages, that Chazal, wanted us to take note of every time that we say Kriyat Shema. Now, by the By the way, it's interesting. He says five and there's going to be a list of six. So, there's a little bit of a discrepancy there, but we'll see now what they are. So, what are the major themes that we should be thinking about as we read the Shema every single day, and as we come to the final paragraph of the Shema? Number one, mitzvat tzitzit. We should be thinking about the mitzvat tzitzit. Number two, yetzi'at Mitzrayim. In this paragraph, we have what we should remember every day that we left Egypt, the Exodus from Egypt. Ol mitzvot, that we are accepting upon ourselves the yoke of mitzvot. Veda'at minim, that minim means that we should not be following the opinions of heretics. We should stay away from heretical ideas. Where is that by the way in the paragraph? Good. Lo ta'turu acharei levavchem. So, that's the way that is understood. So, not to Maybe there are certain This is something when you go to Yeshiva University, this is always like a big topic like what can we read? What philosophers can we read? I don't know if it's so applicable in our lives. You don't really struggle with that issue of of, you know, scholarship and what can you, you know, what can you be exposed to? But, this is an idea in Kriat Shema not to be exposed to certain ideas. You can read a lot, but maybe that novel you shouldn't be reading. Or that philosophical work No, that's not something that you should be exposed to. So, that's what That's one of the ideas. And then, here hu ra'avera. You know, here av- here hu ra'avera. Good. Shmirat Einayim, which has become actually a very popular phrase, which I don't remember hearing growing up. Have you heard that phrase? Shmirat Einayim. A lot of people are using that phrase today for good reason. What does Shmirat Einayim mean? Guard your eyes. Cuz we live in a world talking about the top- this topic of tzniut where you open up just a news site, you know, to Fox News or you're on a street and you're on a or on a bus and and you're on the internet. Shmirat Einayim is something that that is that we've we've never been challenged as much as we are being challenged today in this area of what we see, what we're exposed to, what we don't want to see, but it's just it's there, you know, it's it it's there, right? It it it's there constantly before us. So, this is here hu ra'avera, which is the area of of of tzniut, of modesty, of being careful in the area of modesty. So, it's interesting thinking about Kriat Shema and think about the idea of modesty that it makes its way in. And the Gamara itself says that this is an area that every single day as you say the Shma that it's highlighting this idea as you're coming to the end of the Shma highlighting the idea of the importance of of modesty Yichud Avera and then here Yichud Avoda Zara is added as well. Yes, please. I found it I'm doing Hosea now. Yeah. It goes back and forth. It's interesting the different group came idolatry adultery and it's interesting how in Hosea it mixes them up. So here he did six really five so I >> Right, it's five and six. I mean you yeah. idolatry and adultery are really very much related. >> Okay, good. So the right so the question is like which one is overlapping possibly it's not a mistake that it's five and they're really six because there are two that may overlap with one another. Okay, good. Yes, very good. So let me just share with you a an idea that Rav Kook the way that Rav Kook comments on on this piece of Gamara. And again coming back to this idea that we're highlighting today the idea of the importance of Tzniut and modesty and the way that we interact and what we see and the idea of Shmirat Einayim. So he writes the following. This is where again I'm going to look now at the bottom of page three. I happen to have a a a nice translation adaptation of Rav Kook which I'll which I'll use for for the sake of of understanding and for time. This by the way there's a Rabbi Daniel Mann if you know that name. He writes in the great publication called Torah Tidbits. He writes every week. And he's a rebbe in in Eretz Hemda. He's a Dayan as well. He's a Dayan on the we shouldn't need to go to a rabbinical court but he's one of the Dayanim in the rabbinical court in in Jerusalem of of Eretz Hemda and he also has taught at Gruss at the YU Gruss Kollel for the last 25 30 years and he also is a great lover of Rav Kook and he's translated most of A Nayeh two volumes and he's translated almost all the letters of Rav Kook. He's really he's spent the last 25 years doing a lot of translation of Rav Kook as well. Uh great lover of Rav Kook. Okay, so he translates the following piece and we'll we'll we'll we'll use this translation. This is Rav Kook's comment on this Gemara. And he writes the following, man's shleimut. So shleimut and Rav Kook says as we're reading the Shema, one of the things that we have in mind is through the psukim of the Shema, reciting the Shema, that we are thinking about how do we attain shleimut in our lives, wholeness in our lives, a kind of reaching for perfection in our life. So that's believing in God, that's loving God, and it's studying Torah, and it's mezuzah, and it's fillin, and and as we read it every day, this is a like an inspirational we can see it as as an inspirational text, like how to how to be inspired to live according to the words of the Torah of the Shema. So he writes, man's shleimut depends on his having serious intellectual goals that guide guides his direction and actions in life. This lofty intellectual purpose is included in what the holy rabbi said, all of your actions should be for the sake of heaven, which is from Avos 2:12. The Rambam noted that the philosophers wrote entire books about the question of purpose, but did not complete the task, whereas the rabbis were able to capture all in the above short statement. Okay, the idea is that everything that we do in life, that everything should be for the sake of heaven, that we need to think about all of our actions, the way that we spend our day, where we engage ourselves in life, and all of that should be directed l'shem shamayim. So there's the lofty goals of the l'shem shamayim, this is what Rav Kook is about to say, the lofty goals of the l'shem shamayim, but we also need to be aware of those things that are pitfalls, those things that are going to um maybe trap entrap us. In other words, there's the lofty ideas, and then we also need to be aware of those things that may be hurdles for us as well. And skipping to the third paragraph, however, there is also the side of failure. In other words, where are we possibly going to stumble? Where are we going to fall as we're reaching towards shleimut? When one loses his way and his intel and his intellect is uprooted from its main goal, then his soul's emotions will work upon him. Instead of working towards a good goal, they will go to waste and will bring him to perform actions that are pointless but follow the urgings of his physical side, which are based only on that which is pleasant to the senses at the moment. Okay, what is Rav Kook saying? Rav Kook says, if you look at the last paragraph of the Shema, let's talk about six different ideas. He says you can break them down three, the first three, and the last three. Okay, what are those ideas again? So, the mitzvah of wearing tzitzit, performing tzitzit, thinking about Exodus, having in mind that God took us out of Egypt, and accepting mitzvot. Now, that's all the positive, right? Doing mitzvot, accepting God's will, um remembering the Exodus, that's all in the positive. And yes, a Jew needs to be inspired by those positive ideals, but then there's something else that a Jew needs to keep in mind. And what is that? Those areas where you can stumble. And if you stumble in those areas, you can stumble in a very serious way. You can lose your Again, it's it's nice to talk about the ideals, but you also need to be very aware of the other areas where you where are they can be stumbling blocks. And what is that? Those are the the last three that are mentioned. Resisting heresy, again, we said, you know, not to be exposed to certain ideas, and to refrain from immorality, right? That idea of of the low tattoo after a little bath him. What is the bath him referred to? That refers to more philosophy ideas, the after a and a him. And what is and a him referred to? That's right. What your eyes are drawn to. And we need that's the area of modesty, of sneut. And how important that is, again, we might think of that is that really like the essence of of Judaism? Like aren't there things that are loftier than that? But the Torah is telling us and this at the end of the schmo it's telling us we have the lofty ideas, Exodus from mitzrayim, the ideas of all mitzvot, of believing in God, but then we also have to be aware of those areas that we can also where we can stumble. And those are that's serious, right? Those are that that that's a serious part of of of life in day-to-day life. So that is the way that Rav Kook breaks it down three and three, the lofty ideas, but also those areas where uh where it's necessary for a person to be on guard. And again, on guard, which leads to the beautiful and remarkable way that a that Jewish life and Jewish society and community, what it can look like when we are careful and we are sensitive to the area of modesty. Okay. So now I want to I want to share want to share one last um one last idea with you. And it's interesting by the way that this um that this warning about low tattoo after a little bath him after a and a him, where does it appear? It appears in in in a paragraph that talks about one mitzvah in particular. Which mitzvah? The mitzvah of tzitzit. And interestingly, the mitzvah of tzitzit is really about what we wear. It's about it's on our garments. So, it's interesting that the mitzvah that relates to tznius is also found within a mitzvah which is about dress, which is about the garments that we that we wear. Okay. So, I want to share with you a gemara which you may have heard. Um, it's an aggadah. It's a story that's found in the gemara. You don't have it in front of you. You can sit back and you can listen. And um, I would put it into personal I put it into the top 10 aggadahs stories in all of shas. Not that I know I definitely don't know all of shas and I don't know all the aggadahs in shas. But, what I have studied I would I'll put it into the top 10 and you'll you'll you'll tell me what you think of it as well. So, there's a gemara that appears in menachos. It's daf mem dalet amud aleph 44a. And uh, and it's quite a story. And it's a story about tzitzit. It's a story about modesty and it's a story that I think has a as the at the end has a very important lesson based on what we have what we have introduced and what we studied a bit this morning. So, Tanya amar Rebbi Nassan. Rebbi Nassan taught the following. And I'm going to by the way I I want to read it to you. We're going to read the Hebrew because every word every word is really key guy here. I could tell you the story, but I want to you'll I think you'll appreciate some of the the language in the Hebrew and the Aramaic I guess of the story as well. Amar Rebbi Nassan, ein lo kol mitzvah kalah she ksuva ba Torah she ein matan skara ba olam hazeh. He begins with the following teaching. Says, there's not a mitzvah even a simple mitzvah, a light mitzvah that one does not receive reward in this world. There is you're going to see reward in this world for every mitzvah in the Torah and even the simplest, even a mitzvah kalah, even a light mitzvah. U le olam haba eini yodea kama. And he says, but when it comes to the world to come I don't know how much In other words, there's no way of knowing the reward. You're going to receive reward for every mitzvah in this world. That's what he says, Rabbi Nassan. Even the lightest, even the easiest mitzvah. What's going to happen in the world to come? That is beyond. In other words, that's going to be much more than what you're going to see in this world. And then he says, "Say you will learn mad. Go and see from the mitzvah of tzitzit." And I want to bring you a lesson from the mitzvah of tzitzit. Now, by the way, why would the mitzvah of tzitzit be called a kala, an easy mitzvah? A light mitzvah. That's what the Gemara says. The meforshim are not quite sure. Why is tzitzit an easy mitzvah? It's straight for what? You just put it on. Okay, good. Yeah, you just put it on. I'm wearing it right now. It doesn't really take a lot of doesn't take a lot of effort. Good. That's what some of the meforshim say. It's easy. Some say it's inexpensive. Like tefillin, how much are tefillin today? Who has bought a pair of tefillin recently? For your grandchildren. What do they go for? Yeah, a couple thousand. They're now like two, three thousand. It was $300 when I was a kid. Now it's $3,000 for for for a good pair of tefillin. So, that's not a mitzvah kala. You got to come up with a lot of money. How much are tzitzit? Five bucks? I don't know. They're not that maybe a little more. Okay. Uh tcheiles is right. Okay, if you're going to go the tcheiles route, that's expensive. Okay. So, the Gemara says that it's a mitzvah kala. It's easy. Easy to wear, easy to buy. Okay. So, here we go. Here's the story. Maiseh vadam echad. There was a particular person she had a zahir bemitsvas tzitzit. Tzitzit. So, he was very careful with tzitzit. By the way, one of the first times in my life that I see people wearing tzitzit that do not wear a kippah. Have you seen that? I used to. I've never seen this in my life. People not wearing a kippah, but they're wearing tzitzit. Sefardim. Sefardim. Yeah. What? It's at You're right. It A lot of this is post-war. You're right. You're right. You're You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. It's identity, but they're identifying with tzitzit, which is just amazing. So, here the Gamara says there was a man who was Zahir. That was the mitzvah that he loved. He love I don't know what else he did, but he loved the mitzvah of tzitzit. And he heard about a prostitute that lived across the seas. She had no teller dollar mayo in this car. And she charged 400 gold pieces as [snorts] her price. He sent her the 400 pieces of gold. And she He made an appointment made an appointment to meet her and to be with her. When his time came he came and he was standing at the He waited by the entrance of the door of this woman waiting to come in to be with the prostitute. Her maid servant her assistant the prostitutes assistant came. And he said to her to the prostitute oh to Adam that guy she she gave like dollar mayo the one who sent you 400 pieces of gold by the show Allah better he's here. And he's sitting at the entrance of the house. He's waiting to come in. The prostitute said come in Nick knows and the man came in. So, she set up beds six of that six of them which were made of silver and one which was made of gold. And between each bed there was a ladder. It seems that these beds were one higher than the other. There was a ladder going from one bed to the next. The Elyon Shel Zahav, the upper bed, was made of gold. Maybe the the the feet of the bed or the the structure of the bed was made of gold. Alta, she went up the Yashva Al Gabe Elyona. She went up, the prostitute goes up to the very top bed. She is sitting there Kishi He Aruma. And she is naked, she's sitting naked on the top bed. The Af Who Allah Leishav Arum Kenegda. And he also was on his way up to sit with her and to be naked Arum Kenegda to sit naked with her. Bao Dalid Sitsiyota. As he was taking off his garment, his Sit Sit, the corners of the garment, the Tzaf Chulo Al Panav, the Tzitzis as he was taking it off, it hit him on his face as he was taking off his Tzitzis. Nishmat Ve Yashav Lo Al Gabe Karka. He then went down from the bed and he was sitting on the ground. The Af He Nishmata Ve Yashva Al Gabe Al Gabe Karka. She also went down from the top bed and she's now sitting next to him sitting on the floor. So they're now both sitting next to one another on the ground. Amra Lo. She now says to this fellow, "Gaba Shel Romi, I swear in the name of the king of Rome, She Aini Meini Chata Ati Tu Marli Ma Mum Raiti Bi. I'm not going to let you leave this room. You're not going to go out until you tell me Ma Mum Raiti Bi, what blemish, if you found something unattractive in me." I'm not letting you go until you tell me what it was that you didn't make your way up to the bed with me. So Amar Lo. So he now says to her, "Avoda, I swear." Avoda is a term I swear like on the on the service of the the Avoda in the Bet Hamikdash. I swear to you by the Bet Hamikdash. "Shelo ra'iti isha yafa kemotcha. I have never seen a woman as beautiful as you." Ela mitzvah achat tzivanu Hashem Elokeinu. But, there's a certain mitzvah that God commanded us. Betzitzit shema. And the name of that commandment is tzitzit. Uchtiva and it says in that paragraph, "Ani Hashem Elokeichem shetei pa'amim." It says two times Ani Hashem Elokeichem. Ani Hashem Elokeichem asher hotzeiti'cha me'eretz Mitzrayim Hashem Ani Hashem Elokeichem emet. Two times it says Hashem Elokeichem. "Anihu she'atid lipara." What does it mean? He's telling sharing a dvar Torah with his woman that in the future time Hashem is going to punish us for any sin. "Va'anihu she'atid leshalem lamschar." And I also am the God that's going to give reward to you in the end of time. Achshav gadmu alai I'm sorry. Achshav nidmu alai kedaled edim. These tzitzit, they were like giving testimony. They were like witnesses. As it hit my face, as I took off my tzitzit, I saw those tzitzit as if they were going to testify against me. And I'm not going to go through with this act of of being with you. Okay. So, they're sitting next to one another. He shares this dvar Torah with the prostitute and says that that's that's why, you know, I refrained at this at this time and I'm not going going to be together with you. So, now she says the following. Amra lo. Eini menicha'cha. She now says to this fellow, this young man, "I'm not going to let you leave. Ad she tomar li ma shimcha." "I want to know your name, Umas Sham Ircha. I want to know the city that you're from, Umas Sham Ravcha. I want to know the rabbi that you study with, Umas Sham Midrasha Shatal Midva Torah. I want to know the base medrish, the study hall where you study Torah. So Shamshai's was very impressed with this fellow. So I'm not leaving you until you give me all of this information. So Katav Ben Atan Biada. Interesting, he she he writes it down, not sure why. Maybe wants to maintain contact with her. He writes it down and gives her all of this information. Okay. We're getting there to the end. Amda. So now she makes a life-changing decision. She gets up, the Chilka Cold Nechasa. She now splits up all of her property, everything that she owns. Shalish Le Malchut, she gives a third to the government. Some of the parshans say that she owes taxes, whatever it may be. She wants to pay that to the government. The Shalish L'aniim, she gives a third of her earnings, of her wealth, she gives to impoverished, poor people. Ushlish Nat Lav Biada. And she held on to a third of her money. Chutz Meot Tan Mitzot. And she also held on to the bedsheets. She took all of the a third of her money and the sheets that she used in her prostitution, she wanted to hold on to that as well. That's what the Gemara says. Okay. So by the way, it sounds like she she wants to give up this life of prostitution after she has met this man and has seen the resilience and to see that this man is his commitment and he was able to to withhold to the last minute. So what happens next? Ubata Lebeit Midrasha. So now she comes, she tracks down, she has Remember, she has the paper of the base matters where he studies. So, it sounds like this guy Actually, this was Yeshiva guy who was learning in a base matters that went to see this prostitute. But, okay, we'll we'll we'll leave that. So, so >> [laughter] >> U bata le base midrasho, she now shows up in the base matters shell Rebbe Hiya. Now, his Rebbe is Rebbe Hiya, famous Rebbe Hiya from the Gamara. Now, she's there in the base matters of Rebbe Hiya. Amra lo, "Rebbe." She turns to the rabbi and says, "She va alai ve asuni giyoret. I want to learn Torah and I want to become a convert." I want to become a convert, a giyoret. Now, what do you say, by the way, when somebody I teach in a conversion program here in in Yerushalayim. When somebody wants to convert, what what what's the What do you say? You dissuade. Right. And one of the big issues, and here's the next line of Gamara. Amra lo, Rebbe Hiya says to her, "Biti, my daughter, shema enacha natata be achad min ha talmidim? Maybe there's one talmud that you've set your eyes on that you want to convert because you want to marry that person." Now, we know that that's an issue. Even today, that's an issue. I had a conversion class last night. Half the room are people that have already met somebody of the other You know, the that that they're really coming to Judaism once they've met somebody and they want to now find a way to convert. It's very common. Which is a you know, not not an easy not an easy you know, not an easy thing to deal with because it needs to be sincere. So, he says, the rabbi says to her, "Well, are you here just because there's somebody that you have in mind and you're not necessarily that sincere about your conversion?" So, the Gamara says, "Hotzia ktav miyada." That she took out from in in her hand, she took out that paper that had all the information of the student, the Natan Lo, and he gave it and she gave that to the Rabbi. Now, interesting, now that sounds like she's admitting that there is a particular student, but the Gemara without, you know, going to the details, Rebbe Chiya accepts her for conversion and studies with her. And by the way, this is a is a an interesting just for that alone, that Halachic issue. Um by the way, the fame One of the most famous converts today is Ivanka Trump, right? Who married who met somebody in college and wanted to marry a Jew, right? And that's and that it was it was through that meeting that she really comes to Judaism. And Rabbi Herschel Schachter sat on that on that Beth Din and she was converted as an Orthodox conversion, even though it started with meeting somebody. So, here in the Jared Kushner. So, here the Gemara is also it's she has met somebody and she's interested in marrying this person and converting for marriage. So, Rebbe Chiya does study with her, does study with her and does convert her. So, Amar la, and after this period of study and converts this prostitute, Lechi Zachi be mikaket be mik kachecha. The Rabbi says you can go and take that item. Again, why he uses this Lashon, take the item that you invested in, or your Mekach, right? This item that you I'm not sure exactly why he uses that that phrase. But, he says you can now go and marry this young man. Okay, that's the story. There's one two more lines in the Gemara. Here's the Here's the penultimate line in the Gemara. So, they marry one another. They marry one another. Says the Gemara, Otan Matsa O, those same bed sheets, Shehitzia Lo be Issur, that were used by the prostitute in a prohibited way. He'd see a load they were spread out on the beds behater to consummate the marriage. Those sheets that were and she took those sheets, right? That was the earlier in the story. She held on to those sheets and maybe she had this in mind that she wanted to do chuvah and to use those sheets, those bed sheets in a in a way of heter in a very beautiful way. So, that's the the what? Yeah, I know. It's a great It's a great last It's a great last line. And then the Gemara says the following, "Zeh matan s'charo b'olam hazeh." This is an example of a light mitzvah, right? The mitzvah of tzitzit, and to see the great s'char that one has in this world. In other words, he refrained from having relations with this prostitute and Hashem rewarded him that in the in the end of the day he he was able to be, you know, to be with her and she was she would she would become his wife. So, you see a little act, even a mitzvah kalah, that there's reward in this world. And then "Ul olama ba eni odea kama." The Gemara says, "But the reward that you receive the next world is no you can't put a number on it. There's no price tag you can put on." But every every mitzvah there's going to be reward in this world. So, I'll just close with the following. So, here we see a Gemara about tzitzit and about modesty that it was that the the tzitzit and that's one of the ideas of that paragraph of tzitzit, that it's a reminder of tzniu, the importance of tzniu in our life. But here I'll end with the following lesson which I take from this Gemara. The Gemara says, "You are to take note of the benefit and the reward of mitzvot in this world." Now, we don't always see that. We don't always see that with every mitzvah. How is keeping kosher? Do we see like the reward of observing kashrut or other mitzvot? But I think the Gemara is is emphasizing the idea when it comes to tzniu in modesty that one sees the payoff in this world. That is we don't have to wait for a next world to see it. That is where we where we um create communities of tzniut of modesty. What is modesty between the genders. So, that's something that has a a a a tremendous impact and such a beautiful impact that we can see that again we don't have to we don't have to wait. It doesn't require like an emunah like to wait for a next world to to rely on a a reward that we're going to receive in olam haba. And the reward of tzniut is as Rav Kook says is something that is so beautiful. It's kiyumo shel olam. It's the very basis of of society of creating a beautiful society of of shalom bayit of marriages of strong marriages of children that grow up with parents that see a loving relationship of uh of a community that has an appropriate respect. There are times a bit of distancing um for one another, but the respect that we have for one another and um which which brings about the the the beauty of a of a society that is tzniua. So, this as Rav Kook said is something for all of us to uh to think about and again every to apply appropriately the importance of uh of this middah of tzniut in our lives.