A ceremony was once held in Lower Manhattan to dedicate a park in memory of British citizens who were killed in the 9/11 terror attacks. It was a very hot day in July, and many people arrived in immodest clothing.
But one distinguished guest was dressed in sleeves past her elbows, a dress below her knees, and an elegant hat. When it was her turn to speak, she strode purposefully to the podium with her head held high and delivered her remarks to a crowd that reacted with awe and respect.
This woman was the Queen of England.
As religious Jews, we do not dress modestly because we are frightened of the evil in the world or paranoid about the results of exposing ourselves. Rather, we dress in this way because we are dignified; we take pride in our level of humanity and our tzelem Elokim.
We are people of stature; we know that we represent Hashem Himself, and that is a status that elevates us.
Reproduced from A Life Worth Living by Rabbi Shraga Freedman with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
