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Thank you so much for the book you came out with! Being a Rebbetzin in a beautiful growing kiruv community, I give classes to women on regular basis on a variety of topics. Although I have been asked for many years to give classes on the topic of tzniut by women who felt confused by the messages being given on this topic, I kept refusing. I didn't feel that I had the sources to what I knew as facts about Tzniut...until I read your book! Finally I was able to find solid sources to everything I knew! Now I was able to prepare to give a class on this most precious topic. In your book, I found sources that I could check for myself and put together classes for my community based on the sources provided - especially in Rabbi Manning's section of the book. What the women told me after the class, more than anything else, was, "This was so empowering. I need to rethink a lot of the things I do now." While the hashkafic parts of the approach were not new to me, the parts on dat moshe and dat yehudit were presented so clearly and I was able to use the information to present clear definitions and charts to the women I taught. The material in your book is so beautifully laid out which allows me to present it in a beautiful and positive way to the women in my community. For the first time, I have felt comfortable sharing these ideas with others. The women that I have learned with have shared that they feel so uplifted and connected to the mitzvah - and I have been asked to speak about it in other places as well! - Avigail Shaliehsaboo, Great Neck, NY
I want to thank you so much as someone that grew up in the ultra Orthodox community and has a tremendous amount of trauma (as you said on the podcast with Rabbi Scott Khan) , around the topic of modesty. This is the first time I Feel Home listening to the topic of צניעות. Thank you thank you thank. Such a healing experience. For years I've been saying that there is more depth to it and you broke it down so beautifully I actually came to tears listening to the episode it was more tears of Hope that the Orthodox Community can hopefully align themselves to the true meaning of modesty and what internally it means not only judging others externally. - Matana Poupko Jacobs, Boca Raton, FL
I was intrigued when I saw that Rabbi Manning had put out a book on the topic of Tznius; as a student of his from Seminary many years ago, I always appreciated his crystal clear style in presenting Halacha. This book was no exception! The way he explains tznius may be groundbreaking for you no matter your background, community, or gender. The halachic discussion is is no way dry — it is replete with detailed explanations and enriched by his wealth of experience as a mechanech. The distinction he makes between different areas of Halacha is like a breath of fresh air — allowing me to understand the halachically diverse world we live in and view other opinions as legitimate, while maintaining a firm commitment to my own level of practice and continue to see it as ideal. Honestly, I couldn’t put the book down! But when I finally did, I came away with a newfound understanding of the mitzvah I keep everyday, as well as the way others keep the same mitzvah. Personally, I would recommend reading the second section (of Halacha) before the essay portion; while some essays may immediately strike a chord in you as coming from a particular lens of hashkafa, Rabbi Manning’s exposition is pure Halacha. At the same time, the essay section as well adds a special dimension, bringing beautiful sources and insights that go beyond the letter of the law and into the realm of modesty as a middah, which can truly add a deeper level of meaning and understanding to your observance of the laws. You don’t need to feel that every essay in the book speaks to you — because that probably won’t be the case. Written for a diverse yet uniformly intellectually honest audience, this book can help each reader to in their own way, reclaim Dignity. - M.K., Jerusalem
Reclaiming Dignity is filling a void on my bookshelf and in my education—which says a lot, since I went to a wonderful Orthodox high school and two years of seminary with in-depth and text based learning. On the emotional-integration level, the essays provide thought-provoking insights about the lived experience of tznius—with a vast array of voices and angles. On the intellectual level, Rabbi Manning’s sensitive, thorough and nuanced approach brings all the sources together. He lays out the complexity of the different aspects (halacha, das Yehudis, minhag, hashkafa and societal norms) that comprise the law and practice of tznius. Thanks to this book, I am beginning to understand this important topic on a much deeper level, which is impacting both my own practice and the way I look at others. - Rachel Sagal, Baltimore, MD
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