The greatest spiritual height a woman can reach, is perfection in matters of tznius. This can be seen from the fact that the Imahos (Foremothers), although in possession of many outstanding qualities, were immortalized and enshrined by a name that stands for perfect tznius. They were given the levona, as the verse says אל גבהת מלבונה – “The Shechina visited a hill of frankincense – i.e. the Imahos. ¹ The Midrash ² says, “This name was alloteed to the Imahos because with their good deeds they were comparable to this delicate and aromatic spice. Moreover, the literal translation of the word levona is white. A sotah, a woman suspected of immorality, brings a sacrifice without the usual levona – (see Rashi, Bamidbar 5:15) because levona stands for whiteness and purity, while the sotah appears to have behaved in the a dark and impure manner.

The name of a person personifies his main qualities. Hence, since the Imahos were named Levona, we see that the trait of tznius was highlighted in them above all their other qualities. This induced the Maharal of Prague to write the following ³ הרי שנשתבחו האמהות בפרט בצניעות, כי עיקר שבח האשה ומדריגתה העליונה היא הצניעות – “We see that the Imahos were praised band credited primarily for their tznius because the ultimate distinction of a woman and her supreme greatness is her perfection in tznius.” Such a statement, by as great an authority as the Maharal, is a remarkable statement indeed!

Related posts (Most recent first):

1. Appropriate Dress Refines a Person’s Charachter
2. Tznius is Latent Within Every Jewish Woman
3. Prohibitions of Inadequate Dress & Overdressing
4. Protecting the Inner Qualities and Outer Beauty
5. Tznius in Dress Alludes to Inner Nobility