Question:
Shalom! So happened the rabbi of our community is moving away. Everyone loves him and his family very much. Several women from the community decided to get a present for Rabbanit and chose an expensive designer brand silk scarf. B’H the community is very well off and there are no difficulties in affording this gift. However, I feel somewhat uncomfortable as it looks to me (maybe wrong) that it’s not tzniut to given such an expensive and somewhat personal gift and that Rabbanit may not use it just because of that. But I feel uncomfortable telling it to others as they all are very excited by this idea. Could you please explain if the laws of tzniut include cost of the things/ presents and whether this present is appropriate? What would be the present you recommend (if so) in the similar situations in the future? Thank you very much!
Answer:
One of the ideas in tzniut is not to wear clothing that sticks out. This can be because of the clothings style, color and sometimes because it is very expensive looking. Regarding buying expensive clothing, it really depends on how it looks and how and when it will be used. If the Rabbanit may not want to use it because it looks way above her standard, then for practical reasons you should consider getting hr something that she will actually use. Getting her something that she can use inside the privacy of her own home, will have less of a tzniut issue even if it above her standard because it won’t stick out into other people’s eyes.
Best Wishes
