Was Avraham not modest?

The Mah Tovu statement of Bil'am's, though intended as a curse was actually praise, and attested to (via Bava Batra 60a) the modesty of the children of Israel. They did not construct their tents in a way that others could see in to their private places. This sense of tzniyut was admirable.

But one of the famous traits of Avraham Avinu (sourced from various commentators) is that his tent was open on 4 sides. Wouldn't this provide a michshol, allowing anyone to see into his tent at all times? This seems to run counter to the behavior lauded in the desert.

Is there any commentator who attempts to reconcile this apparent contradiction in how people should comport themselves vis-a-vis their (open) tents?

needs author's attention

This question is off-topic or cannot be reasonably answered in its current form and needs revision by its author.

This flag will be added as a comment to this post's feedback thread.

is a duplicate

This question has been asked before and has already been answered. It should be marked as a duplicate.

Please enter the URL of the proposed duplicate in the details field below.

not constructive

This question cannot be answered in a way that is helpful to anyone. It's not possible to learn something from possible answers, except for the solution for the specific problem of the asker.

Communities

Was Avraham not modest?

0 comment threads

0 answers