What is proper modesty for all Jewish women according to Rambam? You know, skirt length, age to cover hair, to cover the neck or not, etc.
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3You should be aware that the the tseniut requirements according to Rambam are much stricter than the standards according to most other authorities. He requires similar standards to what was traditional among the Arabs of his time. Very few people today follow his standards. – mevaqesh Jul 22 '16 at 19:08
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saniuth is based on local custom and therefore according to the rambom it is based on customs of today. in his time it was based on customs of back then – MoriDowidhYa3aqov Jul 22 '16 at 20:22
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−1 for "You know, skirt length, age to cover hair, to cover the neck or not, etc." because, no, I don't know. Modesty is just covering body parts? I doubt Rambam held that way and I know modern authorities don't. – msh210 Jul 22 '16 at 20:35
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2@msh210 That seems overly harsh. The OP asks about the certain rules of modesty. If you feel that the English word modesty covers a broader range of activities, fine. The question still stands. – mevaqesh Jul 22 '16 at 20:42
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@mevaqesh, good point. I was assuming that he was referring to tz'nius as that term is traditionally used within Judaism (in which case my comment stands). If instead he was referring to his own definition of the word "modesty", then we of course have no idea what that definition is so (a) "You know" is misplaced (how can we know?) and (b) he should define it for us really well (without the ellipsis inherent in "etc."). – msh210 Jul 22 '16 at 20:56
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I don't really care at all a bit that rambams modesty is stricter. That's why I asked – itai ifraim Jul 24 '16 at 02:08
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Echoing @mevaqesh, some of the Rambam's requirements of dress do not appear to be inherent but are rather based on community standards in Islamic countries at the time (since one of the halachos of modesty is to avoid dressing in a manner that violates norms of modest dress in the community you are in). So the Rambam would presumably not give the exact same ruling on all of these points for Jews in most communities nowadays. – Fred Jul 24 '16 at 21:36
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If you like an answer, consider marking it correct. – mevaqesh Apr 02 '17 at 03:46
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@msh210 Laws of Tsniuth cover clothing, behavior and character…Itai is not having a separate definition, he seems to be asking about the clothing aspect, but his interest may not be limited to this aspect of Tsniuth alone. – Aryeh Shmuel Sep 12 '22 at 16:44
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In Hil. Ishut (24:9), Rambam lists hair covering in public as dat Moshe.
In halakhot 11-12, he lists the requirements of dat Yehudit the behaviour that was customary for Jewish women:
ואיזו היא דת יהודית, הוא מנהג הצניעות שנהגו בנות ישראל; ואלו הן הדברים שאם עשת אחד מהן, עברה על דת יהודית: יוצאה לשוק או למבוי מפולש וראשה פרוע ואין עליה רדיד כשאר הנשים, אף על פי ששיערה מכוסה במטפחת; או שהייתה טווה בשוק, וורד וכיוצא בו כנגד פניה על פדחתה או על לחייה, כדרך שעושות הגויות הפרוצות; או שטווה בשוק, ומראה זרועותיה לבני אדם...
יב עזרא תיקן שתהיה האישה חוגרת בסינר תמיד בתוך ביתה, משום צניעות; ואם לא חגרה--אינה עוברת על דת, ולא הפסידה כתובתה. וכן אם יצתה בראשה פרוע, מחצר לחצר בתוך המבוי--הואיל ושיערה מכוסה במטפחת, אינה עוברת על דת.
That is, dat Yehudit includes wearing a rodheedh besides for a mere head covering, in public, and implies that her arms may not be uncovered in public. Lastly, he cites a requirement to wear a undergarment, even inside.
Additionally, in Hil. Issurei Biah (21:17) he writes:
לא יהלכו בנות ישראל פרועי ראש בשוק, אחת פנויה ואחת אשת איש
That is, neither single nor married women should go out in public with uncovered hair. It is noteworthy that here he does not state that this is an absolute obligation, or what sort of obligation it is, e.g. dat Moshe or dat Yehudit. Also noteworthy, is that he does not mention the rodheedh here.
Related: Hair Covering Before Marriage?
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Note: unlike a contemporary halakha work, Rambam does not delineate every little detail. The above are the only guidelines he provides that I know of. If anyone knows of additional sources in his writings, please let me know. – mevaqesh Jul 24 '16 at 23:25