899) Tznius (12) - The Rebbe's Responses

00:01 Behemsach, in continuation to the earlier installments where we discussed the Rebbe's Sicha, the talk of the Yud Beis Tammuz Tav Shen Lammed fabrengen, which was summer nineteen seventy on the topic of Tznius. We now continue with installment number twelve, where we will cite various responses from the Rebbe on the topic of Tznius. Number one, Rabbi Binyamin Klein of Blessed Memory, the Rebbe's Maskir, once published the following response, a handwritten note from the Rebbe, translated here in English. Based on the words of my saintly father-in-law on similar topics, that the trouble Hashem should protect us, which we have in the present from the youth, is an outcome that is also mentioned in Svarim from being lax or lenient in the matters of family purity and Tznius. Which means that the troubles in our generation is based on leniencies in the matters of family purity and Tznius. And the Rebbe continues, "And from the positive aspect and result in fulfilling it appropriately, we can derive what is the negative outcome," as one would say, what's the other side of the coin. Likewise, the Rebbe continues, from the positive and appropriate conduct of Tznius, dressing modestly of a woman referred to as Kimchis. She merited to have seven of her sons serving as Kohanim Gedolim in the Beis Hamikdash, as it is stated in the Talmud, and this is in the zchus of her Tznius. The Rebbe continues, מכלל הן עד השמה חולו. From the positive result in fulfilling it appropriately, we can derive what is the negative

02:13 outcome when doing it inappropriately. On a side note, I would just like to mention an observation, as it is well known that the Rebbe never would conclude a response or another matter with negativity. As the Rebbe always stressed, u'mesayim biteiv, we sign off, we conclude on a positive note. Therefore, interestingly here, the Rebbe also just wrote, מכלל הן, from yes, we also understand, et cetera, not mentioning the negativity. A second response, this was Kislev Tov Shen Lammed, late nineteen sixty-nine. Two girl students studying in a school wrote to the Rebbe about the Tznius status in their school. The Rebbe responded to them with a letter which he sent out at the time to shluchim, communal activists, et cetera, in which the Rebbe wrote that it is the function of the Jewish women and girls to become inspired and strengthen themselves in the activities of such which took place by ימים ההם בזמן הזה in those days and in our time, and to increase in them in a manner of הולך ומסיף ואיר, accelerating, increasing, and illuminating in all these matters. In the line prior to his signature, the Rebbe added a bracha and wrote, translated here in English, "Success in the Mivtzer Tznius and for good tidings, good news in the very near future." On a third occasion, the Rebbe in a response discusses the age of Tznius, and the Rebbe cites that according to Shulchan Aruch, a girl from age three years and a day already needs to conduct herself in a Tznius manner,

04:21 and surely when the girl is at the age of ten and older. And then the Rebbe advises, but not to pressure as with a yoke, to speak to them in a pleasant way, darke neyam. That's the way that it could make a positive impression. The fourth response was in the year nineteen ninety. It had a background. It was in the late eighties. An explosion took place at the chemical reactor in Bodichief. Many continuous flights containing boys and girls from Bodichief, et cetera, were flown out by Chabad to Eretz Yisrael. When they arrived in Eretz Yisrael, the Rebbe was consulted as to their spiritual absorption in the absorption center in Kra Chabad. One of the details which the Rebbe advised was regarding their clothing. And in a response from Tov Shenun, nineteen ninety, the Rebbe wrote amongst other details, translated here in English, "Beautiful clothes should be bought for them, and simultaneously they will accept, they will adapt to the concept of Tznius modest dressing." With this installment number twelve, we have Baruch Hashem concluded the series on Tznius.