IDF Tank Captain Sets Out for Battle

“When thou goest out to encamp against thy enemies, then keep thee from every evil thing. If there be among you any man that is not clean by reason of an impure emission of semen at night, then he shall go abroad outside of the camp, he shall not come within the camp.” (Devarim, 23:10-11)

“For the L-rd thy G-d walks in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thy enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that He see no unclean thing in thee and turn away from thee.” (Devarim, 23:15)

To ensure the day-to-day holiness of the Jewish People, the Torah and its Sages set forth guidelines to prevent a man from succumbing to the temptations that can easily cause him to err. 

For example, Jewish Law demands that a man exert special care to distance himself from interaction with women. (Shulchan Oruch, Even HaEzer, 21:1) This warning is not because women are evil, G-d forbid. Rather, it comes to guard a man from falling into transgression.

Regarding the prohibition against being alone with a woman, Jewish Law states:

“One must not be alone with any woman, whether she is young or old, a Jew or non-Jew, a relative or not, except in the case of a father with his daughter, a mother with her son, and a husband with his wife.” (Kitzor Shulchan Oruch, 152:1)

The halacha continues:

“A man should ever avoid women; thus he should not make gestures at them, nor wink at them, nor jest with them, nor act with levity in their presence, nor gaze at their beauty. It is forbidden to scent their perfume, especially on a woman scented with it. One is forbidden to look at the colored clothes of a woman with whom he is acquainted, even though the clothes are not upon her, lest he come to think of her. If one encounters a woman in the street, he should not walk behind her, but he should hasten his steps so that she is either alongside of him or behind him. One should not pass by the door of a harlot, even by four cubits. He who gazes at the small finger of a woman in order to enjoy its sight, commits a serious wrongdoing. It is forbidden to hear the voice of a woman singer or to gaze at a woman’s hair.” (Ibid, 152:8)

“The great sages of Israel, of blessed memory, have already dealt in length in their holy works concerning the custom prevailing in some communities, where there is a lack of scholarship and piety, that they hug and kiss the groom and bride, and the young men and women dance together. Beside the grave sin of coming in contact with a woman in her menstrual period, he also stimulates lewd thoughts within himself, causing erection and the vain discharge of semen, G-d forbid.” (Ibid, 152:13)