“Beauty diminishes, but a good name endures.”
Everyday, people are bombarded by images from the media that promote sex, stick-thin figures as ideal, music, movies and books that idealize relationships mirroring our disposable society. World famous fashion models are dying before our eyes, wasting away for the “ideal” form.
In an everyday sense, we see things in the most superficial sense. And, as you will discover, it will deeply affect your life, and your children’s lives.
Sometimes You ARE What You Wear! by Eliyahu Safran emphasizes the value of tzniut , modesty, and challenges us to see more than simply the surface.
Tzniut teaches us to not simply “look” but to “see,” to “see with meaning.” It teaches us to look upon some aspect of creation and see not just its outer, most superficial qualities, but its inner, more meaningful aspects.
By looking deeper than your most superficial, corporeal self and seeing who you are at your deepest level, you are able to see the person you are capable of being. And that person is the one that God wants you to be, the one who does not do to others what he wouldn’t want done to him.
It is what is “inside”, which has the potential for the greatest value. What is “outside” should reflect that. Your physical appearance should be designed to call attention to your inner worth and nobility, to your good soul. If you can do that, then your reputation will be assured.
Open your eyes and your mind to the compelling insights of Sometimes You ARE What You Wear! and discover the “you” who must shine through to others!
Susan Vorhand reviews:
In an easy conversational style, Rabbi Eliyahu Safran writes a discourse on Tzniut, the Orthodox Jewish rules of modesty, and why it is relevant –nay, imperative, for today’s woman. He extols the merit of a vitally important truth that must be spoken –and heeded –if we are to recover our self-respect. The basic argument of Sometimes You Are What You Wear is that we live in a society which has lost its respect for female modesty. Unaware of how much they are being infiltrated by the popular culture women are enslaved to it; as they are being objectified the feminine soul is being undermined.
With piercing insight Rabbi Safran encourages us to consider the power to be found in the Jewish ideal. He maintains that the ideals and thus morals of this generation are fundamentally flawed and persuasively argues towards a modesty that, if rediscovered and given the right social support can bolster a sense of dignity
With a heartfelt (and controversial, in that we have become so mired within the influences of contemporary society that we no longer can assess the damage to our daughters) plea, he sets out to unflinchingly elucidate the problems that skewed societal pressure that encourage not dressing with Tzniut has wrought: low self-esteem and disrespect from men. There is true compassion for women in his promoting a return to Tzniut that puts women in control of access to their bodies thereby protecting their self respect.
His gentle reminder as to who we really are is a wake up call. Deep down we know this truth but get caught up in the quagmire that is the current culture, society and fashion.
Rabbi Safran unapologetically defends his position. The power of womanhood, deserving of human dignity, is extolled. A respect for modesty would reinstate her glory. And that would be a most beautiful thing indeed.
