Why Is Torah Law So Restrictive of Contact Between the Genders?
By Manis Friedman
I understand that Torah law prohibits physical contact between a man and a woman—or even for them to be alone in a room together—unless they are first-degree relatives or married to each other. This applies to any man and any woman, regardless of their ages or whether or not they are sexually attracted to each other, with only a few conditional exceptions. And then there are all those rules about “modest” dress. Isn’t that carrying it a bit far? Are we really such animals?