When Inner Values Conflict with Outer Appearance

My Adoption of Tznios:

The year, most probably, was the summer of 1989. My good friend Ariella told me that she was going to a lecture in Boro Park. I also wanted to go to a lecture but was not interested in the one she was going to. As I was walking through Boro Park I saw a poster that said: "When Inner Values Conflict with Outer Appearance". "Wow", I thought. What does that mean? I had to find out. So I went. It was being held in the heart of Boro Park in a girls Bais Yaakov Yeshiva. It was for women only. The speaker was Rabbi Donner a Dyan from England (totally had no idea who he was or what he would be speaking on, but the title of the lecture "hooked" me from the get-go.

When I arrived there must have been 500 women in attendance. I was lucky enough to get a seat in the main hall and fairly close up, so I was able to see the speaker well. Others were seated downstairs and were watching the speaker on a screen.
After some introductory speakers Rabbi Donner came out. The first thing he did was to marvel at the title of the poster which was advertising his lecture. He said he confronted the organizers of the lecture and said some like, "I thought I was speaking on Tznios?" They replied, "Yes, but had we said "Tznios" no one would have shown up!" (The first of many chuckles that would occur during this lecture.) The next thing he did was to apologize in advance to all the women in attendance and assured them, "I am not speaking about anyone here!" He related how many women took affront to what he had to say. (He seemed mystified by this.) So he apologized in advance. (The second chuckle).

The next thing he did was to assure us that he was not making this up nor did he make the decisions. He took out a "roll" of fax paper (remember we are talking about the late 80s when fax machines used one continuous roll of paper) and declared that he had consulted the head Rabbi in Israel for all the halachic decisions on this subject. And with that statement he tossed one end of the fax roll out towards the audience and let it unroll down the middle isle into the audience. (Third chuckle).

Then he got down to the nitty-gritty of the subject. The length of the sleeve that a woman should wear so that her elbow is covered at all times. The neckline of a garment so that the collarbones were properly covered. The length of skirt below the knee so that it was covered at all times (sitting and standing). The covering of the hair and covering of the skin on a woman's legs. And, on and on. (Are you getting the idea of what this lecture was about.)
At the end of this long and seemingly endless list (none of which we could hold against him because he already told us it was the head Rabbi of Israel who decreed these statement) he then said this:
"When a woman is careful to be modest in these ways, when she wears a stocking in the summer and covers her hair, every drop of sweat that comes off of her body is taken up to Shamyam (heaven) and placed in a vile where it is retained until she or one of her family needs a refuah (a healing)." (No one was chuckling!)
I don't know about anyone else sitting in attendance but I was sold 100%. If that is all it takes to make sure that myself or my family members are protected in times of serious illness . . . how could it be disregarded. Hence my conversion took on a new dimension (one which really required no sacrifice) doing the mitzvah of Tznos!!