{Originally posted on author’s website, Emes Ve-Emunah}
I try. I really do try to understand the needs of those who believe that pictures of women in any context should not be published. That’s because it is rooted in a profound sense of the nature of Arayos. Arayos literally means skins. The Gemarah uses it to refer to sexual matters. Mostly in the context of forbidden relationships. Such as adultery or incest. Chazal went to great lengths to build fences around these matters so that we would not transgress them.
In its attempt to prevent men from having erotic thoughts the Gemara uses strong language about situations that generate erotic thoughts in men. Just to cite one example Chazal tell us that anyone who looks at even the baby finger of a women – it is as if he was looking at her secret place (Berachos 24a). There are ample additional examples by Chazal that tell us the lengths to we must go to to avoid sinful erotic thoughts. While this statement is subject to interpretation – it is taken literally by some.
So when a Chasidic group refuses to publish a picture of a woman, I understand their zeal – even as disagree with them.
I don’t agree with them because in our day images of women are so commonplace that there is about as much chance of having erotic thoughts by looking at a modestly dressed woman as there are about the chance of having erotic thoughts about looking at a telephone.
There was a time when women were rarely seen in public. That is clearly not the case in our day. Women are as much in the public square today as men. In fact there are more Orthodox women in the workforce than at any time in history – with the blessing of religious leaders. These leaders actually approve of curricula for their women that will prepare them for the workforce so that they can support their husbands in Kollel.
The times do alter the way in which we react to women in the public eye and the laws pertaining to them. Strictures of the past no longer apply according to respected Poskim of both the past and the present. Poskim like the Levush (R’ Moedechai Yoffie – of the 16th century) and the Aruch HaShulchan R’ Yechiel Michel Epstein – of the 20th century).
Unfortunately there are some sects in Judaism that insist on maximal implementation of these laws as though nothing has changed. As distasteful as this is to me – as long as they keep it to themselves my attitude is live and let live. But when their reach goes beyond their own environment that changes everything. Which is what happens when one of their newspapers photo-shops women out of iconic photos.
This happened a few years ago to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She was photo-shopped out of an iconic picture taken of the President and some of his staff watching the live video transmission of Navy Seals assassinating Osama Bin Laden. A newspaper that refused to publish any pictures of women wanted to publish that picture. The problem was that they couldn’t publish it because there were women in it. So they them photo-shopped them out and published it that way.
And now the same thing happened to another iconic photo. The one where world leaders marched in France in solidarity with France last week. That photo was published in a Hebrew language newspaper that had the same dilemma. And the same solution. So the image of German Chancellor Angela Merkel was photo-shopped out as though she was never there!