Last week, I drove by a family taking an evening stroll (the new quarantine pastime). The clan included three females, all dressed like they just walked right out of my dream, as far as ideally dressed women are concerned. Over the years, I’ve come to base this ideal on the image of the ANR blogger I profiled most heavily. Long skirts and dresses, she nostalgically affirmed. Old school femininity at its finest. I had to turn around and inquire where they were from/their religious background. A sharply dressed man responded “Jewish.”
When one connects the dots, it makes perfect sense that the religion that gave us Proverbs 5, Song 8, and John 3:16 would value such old school traditional dressing, gender roles, and even extremes of intimacy.
God bless Israel. The tiny nation has literally been an infinite blessing to the rest of the world (Gen. 12:1-3).
Let’s enjoy the famous Shema in context:
Devarim 6 (Deuteronomy 6) Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)
6 Now these are the mitzvot, the chukkim, and the mishpatim, which Hashem Eloheichem commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in ha’aretz whither ye go to possess it:
2 That thou mightest fear Hashem Eloheicha, to be shomer over all His chukkim and His mitzvot, which I command thee, thou, and thy ben, and thy ben’s ben, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
3 Shema therefore, Yisroel, and be shomer to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as Hashem Elohei Avoteicha hath promised thee, in Eretz Zavat Cholov uDevash.
4 Shema Yisroel Adonoi Eloheinu Adonoi Echad.
5 And thou shalt love Hashem Eloheicha b’chol l’vavcha u’vchol nafshcha uvechol modecha.
6 And these devarim, which I command thee today, shall be in thine lev;
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy banim, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine bais, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for an ot upon thine hand, and they shall be as totafos (ornaments [Shemot 13:16, Shabbos 57a]) between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the mezuzot of thy bais, and on thy she’arim.
10 And it shall be, when Hashem Eloheicha shall have brought thee into ha’aretz He swore unto Avoteicha, to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’akov, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
11 And batim full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, kramim (vineyards) and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
12 Then beware lest thou forget Hashem, which brought thee forth out of Eretz Mitzrayim, from the bais avadim.
13 Thou shalt fear Hashem Eloheicha, and serve Him, and shalt swear by Shmo.
14 Ye shall not go after elohim acherim, of elohei ha’amim (the g-ds of the peoples) which are round about you;
15 (For Hashem Eloheicha is an El Kannah among you) lest the anger of Hashem Eloheicha be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of ha’adamah.
16 Ye shall not test Hashem Eloheichem, as ye tested Him in Massah.
17 Ye diligently shall be shomer mitzvot over the mitzvot Hashem Eloheichem and His edut, and His chukkim, which He hath commanded thee.
18 And thou shalt do that which is yashar (right, straight) and hatov in the eyes of Hashem; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess ha’aretz hatovah which Hashem swore unto Avotecha.
19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as Hashem hath spoken.
20 And when thy ben asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the edut, and the chukkim, and the mishpatim which Hashem Eloheinu hath commanded you?
21 Then thou shalt say unto thy ben, We were Pharaoh’s avadim in Mitzrayim; and Hashem brought us out of Mitzrayim with a yad chazakah;
22 And Hashem showed otot and mofetim, great and terrible, upon Mitzrayim, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:
23 And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us ha’aretz which He promised on oath unto Avoteinu.
24 And Hashem commanded us to do all these chukkim, to fear Hashem Eloheinu, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at yom hazeh.
25 And tzedakah it shall be for us, if we are shomer to do all these mitzvot before Hashem Eloheinu, as He hath commanded us.
Christ-centered ANR 