- Consequences for one who is not modest in his dress:[1]
The Sages[2] stated on the verse[3] “With the revealing of the hands the house will drip” that through the laziness of a person not being careful in properly covering the body “the house will drip”, which means that his body will grow skin ailments. From here we learn that a person has to cover his entire body.
A Maaseh Shehaya:[4]
Rav Yisrael Nagra, a student of the Arizal, would receive a visitation of supernal angels upon singing hymns at his table. Such a lofty and special experience it was that even the angels came down to receive the Divine glory that shined during the occasion. One time it occurred that he rolled up his sleeves at the table due to the heat in the room and a heavenly voice declared “Flee from this man who diminishes the honor of heaven”, and the angels all disappeared. The Arizal, who was in his house at the time, had a vision of this entire occurrence and revealed it to his student Rav Yisrael Nagra. From that day on he was careful to always properly cover himself and the angels then returned to hear his sweet melody.
King Saul was saved from death due to his modesty:
During the infamous Chase that Shaul gave to Dovid in an attempt to take his life the following is related:[5] Shaul had entered into a cave to use the bathroom, unknowing that Dovid and his men were at the end of that cave, making himself vulnerable to being killed. Dovid, instead of killing Shaul simply cut off part of his cloak and later confronted him with the evidence of his chance of having assassinated him. The Talmud[6] explains that Shaul was very modest when he went to the bathroom, having covered his feet, and revealing only the bare minimum necessary to defecate.[7] It was in this merit that Dovid spared Saul’s life seeing how righteous he truly was. It is also due to this reason that Dovid showed Shaul the piece of his cloak that he cut off, coming to state to him that it is in the merit of his modesty that he was spared. We see from this the great importance of being modest at all times, even when using the bathroom, and how in its merit that Shaul’s life was spared.
[1] Admur Kama 2:9; Darkei Moshe 2; Or Zarua Shabbos 2:43
[2] Vayikra Raba 19:4;
[3] Koheles 10
[4] Brought in Pela Hayoetz “Achila”
[5] Shmuel 1:24
[6] Brachos 62a
[7] See Metzudos Tziyion 24:4