Question:
Shalom.
I know that most poskim (rubam k’kulam) hold, als hilchos tznius, kli gever, das yehudis, etc. that a woman should not wear pants in public (or perhaps even in private, except in pressing circumstances). My question deals with a hypothetical Modern Orthodox shul where some of the members’ wives and daughters do wear pants fairly regularly. They don’t, of course, wear pants to shul on Shabbos or to any simchas or other functions in the main shul (the “sanctuary”). However, several of them do wear pants to meetings or even Torah classes and discussions held in other parts of the shul building. Is it in the geder of bizayon kedushas bais haknesses for a woman to wear pants into the shul building altogether? Probably an easier question to answer is whether it is a bizayon if the women wear pants to a meeting or function held in an upstairs bais medrash which is used regularly for davening during the week and for certain minyanim (such as a hashkama minyan) even on Shabbos and yomim tovim.
Thank you in advance for your insights, and tizku l’Mitzvos.
Answer:
If it is a bais hakneses it has the same kedusha as the “main sanctuary”. Even in the other parts of the shul, it is still walking into the side rooms of the palace, although not the thrown room in clear violation of the kings rules, so it isn’t correct at all. kedushas bais hakneses it doesn’t have.
