Question
Dear Rabbi,
Are women who dress in the ’Taliban’ style dress, i.e. totally covering their faces, go against the halacha of ’ba’alt g’avah’?
They appear to think that men will want to look and go even further (G-d forbid).
Yours,
Allan Last
Answer
Shalom Alan,
You are definitely correct that it is against halacha and clearly prohibited to “invent” new halachot or stringent customs which “show off” one’s religiosity, and infer that others and preceding generations are not and were not acting properly. This "halachic arrogance", even when one’s intentions are sincere, is called “Yuhara”, see for example: Baba Kama 87; Beit Yosef, Orach Chaim 24; Mishna Brura, 34, 16; Sdei Chemed vol. III, pp. 55-56, and hundreds of examples can be found in rabbinic literature.
With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat
