As the chagim and summer approach, Beis Din Mishmar HaTorah LeInyonei Tznius, presided over by maranan poskei hador shlita, has asked that this letter be publicized again.
BS"D, Kislev 5772
To Local Rabbonim and Roshei Kollelim in All Locations:
Regretfully, Jewish modesty, which the Divine Presence and the sanctity of the Jewish people are contingent upon, has become very lax. In particular, recently there has been a breach in the form of short [skirts], Rachmono litzlan, which is considered avizaraihu degilui arayos.
The gravity of leading the Jewish masses to sin is well known. As Rabbenu Yonah writes, "A woman must be modest and ensure that people do not look at her... for those who look... descend to Gehennom and she is punished with the punishment that each and every one of them receives, because she caused them to sin by not conducting herself in a modest fashion, and they stumbled because of her" (Iggeres Hatshuvoh). And this also entails prohibitions of bein odom lechavero, though this is not the place to elaborate.
We have already publicized our opinion that [skirt] length should be at least down to the middle of the calf.
As such we hereby issue a call: please take pity on the holy congregation and speak out stridently on these matters, making efforts to remove this disgrace from your camps. As the Chofetz Chaim zt"l wrote, "And even more, the obligation rests on the rabbonim and on all of the chareidim ledvar Hashem in each and every city to publicly speak about the importance of this matter, which has ramifications for our continuity and success in both the physical and spiritual realms, in both This World and The World to Come, and may we fulfill the words of the verse, `Vehoyoh machanecho kodosh'" (in his letter of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5684).
There is a pressing need to thoroughly set out clear limits in these halachos and matters, and whoever sets a limit in this will have the merit of mezakei horabim, whose merit is beyond measure.
And through this, may we merit, in these trying times, the fulfillment of the verse, "For Hashem Elokecho goes forth in the midst of your camp to save you."
Signed,
Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
Shmuel Halevi Wosner
