This was originally posted way back when. I'm reposting it since the message is timely:
The Princess Of Jaffa Street And The King's Daughter
It's summer in Jerusalem. The weather is hot and dry. Now is the
time for Yaeli to take out her summertime wardrobe. Yaeli's
summertime clothes don't cover too much, after all it's hot during the
summer. When Yaeli walks down the street she gets a lot of attention.
Many men turn their heads to take a good look. There's a lot to see.
Yaeli likes the attention. She feels like a movie star. She senses
several pairs of male eyes that are scrutinizing her every move as she
struts her stuff down Jaffa Street. Even the Avrech who turns the
other way at the sight of the brazenly dressed Yaeli doesn't faze her.
Isn't this also an acknowledgement of her attractiveness? Yaeli
smiles at the thought. She is more than a movie star. She is the
Princess of Jaffa Street.
Shulamit wears the same long-sleeved-button-down shirt in the summer
that she wears during the winter. Her skirt reaches several inches
below the knee. No heads turn to see her, which is fine as far as she
is concerned, since she does not seek attention. She is a true
daughter of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah. No one is looking at her,
except the One above who sees and know all, and rewards those who do
His will. She is the King's daughter. "The complete glory of the
king's daughter is within...(Psalms 45:14)."
In the meantime, Yaeli is enjoying all of the stares that she is
getting. Does she know that those gazing at her see her as a
collection of body parts and nothing more? Does she realize that she
is foolish for revealing herself in such a way in public? Is she
aware that she has forsaken her humanity and has given in to her most
primitive animal instincts? The answer to all of these questions is
"no." She has been duped by a decadent culture that speaks of women's
liberation but excels in degrading them.
When will Yaeli realize that deep down, in her innermost essence, she
is also the King's daughter and not the Princess of Jaffa Street?
A Jew's view from the capital of Israel and the future site of the Third Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt.
6 comments:
At least Yaeli is cool and comfortable, wearing appropriate clothing that fits for the season and temperature, whereas Shulamit and her husband are hot and sweaty and making the buses smell unbearable.
Amechad,
Your claim that,"Shulamit and her husband are hot and sweaty and making the buses smell unbearable" is utter nonsense, and you know it!
I don't know? You ever ride a mehadrin bus or heavily-haredi populated bus in Jerusalem? In the summer? Clothing meant for cold Polish winters are not meant for Middle Eastern summers.
Amechad,
I've never been on a Mehadrin bus, but I've been on plenty of Egged buses in Jerusalem in every season of the year. I don't think that you can single out Hareidim as smelling better or worse than anyone else.
BTW, I have a cousin who is a skin doctor (not religious) and he praised the Hareidim for keeping covered especially during the summer. It seems that he has seen a lot of skin cancer caused by exposure to the sun.
The most reasonable and logical thing to do is wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing with as little skin exposed as possible. It just happens to be modest and healthy, too. What is attractive or comfortable about boiling exposed skin? Some of these people look like they are cooking under the intense middle eastern sun. It;s not cooler, it's hotter to be exposed. On the other side, it is too bad that those who wear all black in summer suffer for modesty's sake when it is anything but.... It draws attention because it is so illogical and unreasonable. It also causes many to have sinful thoughts. Not because of bodily exposure but because people want their Judaism to make sense even if they don't practice it very well themselves. It realy irritates them that Jews they want to respect walk around looking stupid with their black hat pushed far back on their heads and their black coat hanging limply over their shoulders while they try to catch a little breeze under their armpits. There has to be a good middle ground where everyone can meet and both sides have to work to get there. We should look to how our forefathers lived on this land before the dispersion. These are both extremes and the extremes should be avoided by intelligent and reasonable people.
Anon,
I dress more or less the way that you describe. If someone else feels that it is important to wear a black jacket all year round, that is his right and I have nothing against it.
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