modesty

 

מ

[Balaam said] How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!

(Bamidbar 24:5)

 

The lesson for us here is that we must never think that it is important to be concerned only about the “larger” issues of modesty and intimacy, but that we can be lax about the “smaller,” “innocent” details. Even the smaller details are important – important enough to be able to transform a curse into a blessing (or an accursed situation into a blessed one).

Lest we think that this alertness to the details of modesty is only required in our day-to-day behavior but not in temporary situations (such as when we are on vacation), we see here that the tremendous power of even the minor details of modest conduct was demonstrated when our forefathers lived in tents, their temporary homes in the desert.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Likutei Sichos, vol. 13, p. 84.