I’m sorry about the title, but at least I didn’t include the word “unorthodox.”
Have you guys read this article about a group of male, highly Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem who may be taking up the habit of wearing glasses that lessen their vision. They would do this so that, when in public (or, in some cases, in private), they will not find themselves tempted by attractive women who do not dress conservatively (I hate the term “immodest” when describing women’s clothing).
I say may, because this is mostly rumor. I mean, we’ve heard rumors of “epidemics” of teenagers getting drink off of hand-sanitizer and vodka-soaked tampons. These things have a tendency to be a lot less popular than the rumors about them.
Either way, the writer of this particular article, Elad Nehorai, was not reporting this story. He was discussing the various articles and blog posts about it. He took offense to the mocking tone with which the story was reported. To his view, many people are taking this opportunity to ridicule a group of religious people for being “wacky” in a way that does not harm anyone else. He also points out that some bloggers seemed to really just make fun of the Orthodox community as a whole.
I would agree that deeply religious men who limit the scope of their senses in order to avoid temptation are really only harming themselves. I also do not doubt that there are any number of anti-Semitic and anti-religious bloggers who took this story and ran with it.
But that does not mean that everyone who pokes fun at men with healthy vision who are so concerned about avoiding temptation …
