Apart from tznius being an outstanding mitzva in its own right, it serves a second function upon which much of a woman’s Yiddishkeit may depend. This is that tznius is an “antidote” to the yetzer horah (evil inclination) for women in much the same way as Torah learning is an antidote to the yetzer horah for men. Our Sages say, בר×תי יצר הרע בר×תי לו תורה תבלין – “I created the yetzer horah (to entice man to sin) and I have created Torah as an antidote to it.” [1. Kiddushin 30b] Man is therefore capable of overcoming his yetzer horah in whichever area it may attack him, and is consequently held responsible for his sins.
Like everyone else, a woman may at times desire to do thngs that the Torah has forbidden. For example, she might want to relate an incident which involves lashon horah. She may be sorely tempted to eat something which does not have a reliable kashrus hechsher. She might not be bothered to perform a time-consuming mitzva correctly, such as inspecting vegetables properly for insects. Similarly, she might find it hard to say the words of a brocha properly and with clear pronunciation, especially when it comes to the after-brocha “Al Hamichyah” and Bircas Hamazon. In addition, a woman, whose primary responsibility is to establish and manage a home and family, does not have Torah learning to counteract her yetzer horah. If so, from where should she draw the strength to withstand such natural desires and overcome such weakness?
The answer to this is that women have their own form of “inoculation” against tests which is the equivalent of Torah learning. This is the wonderful trait of tznius, which when kept properly, is all encompassing. It gives so much kedusha (sanctity) and strength to the woman that she is capable of outwitting the yetzer horah and withstanding its relentless pressure.
When the Vilna Gaon set out on a journey (that he hoped would take him to Eretz Yisroel), he sent a letter of chizuk (strength) to his family, known as the Igeres HaGra. In it he warned them about the need to avoid anger, arguments, jealousy and similar bad midos. In particular, he stressed the gravity of the sin of lashon horah and other speech-related aveiros. Towards the end of the letter, he addresses his mother with the following words: ×הובתי ×מי, ידעתי ש××™× ×š צריכה למוסר שלי ×›×™ ידעתי ×›×™ ×¦× ×•×¢×” ×ת – “My dear mother, I know that you do not require my mussar, for I am aware that you are a tznua (very modest person).” Although the mussar (ethical and moral guidance) given in the letter concerned all types of negative traits, he was nevertheless convinced that his mother, who was an outstanding tznua, was above all negative traits and did not require guidance from him to overcome anger, lashon horah, and the like. He was convinced, that just as being steeped in Torah enables a man to combat his “lower self,” so too, being steeped in tznius enables a woman to be victorious in the same way. He therefore knew that his mother, who was an exceptional tznua, would surely overcome whatever test she would encounter.