
(54) Splitting Hairs … with Rabbi Dr. Michael J. Broyde
From The Orthonomics Podcast by Mark Trencher
April 14, 2026 · 26 min · Season 4 · Episode 7
About this episode
The episode discusses the evolution of communal standards for tzniut in dress with Rabbi Dr. Michael J. Broyde.
In this episode we discuss with Rabbi Dr. Michael J. Broyde the evolution, especially in the past half century, of communal standards for tzniut in dress, particularly among women; whether laws of tzniut over the millennia have been objective and fixed, or subject within bounds to changing societal norms; possible U.S. societal changes that might affect tzniut in the Orthodox community; the positive benefits of increasing diversity in the Orthodox community, especially in the U.S.; Haredi shifting values relating to learning and working, Rabbi Broyde is a professor of law at Emory University School of Law and a leading scholar at the intersection of law, religion, and Jewish ethics. He is also Berman Projects Director and senior fellow at Emory's Center for the Study of Law and Religion, and teached Jewish Law at Columbia University. His most recent book, "Splitting Hairs," which we discuss in some detail, is a rigorously argued and refreshingly candid halakhic study of women's hair covering and tzniut more broadly. It is available at Amazon … click HERE . Ordained at Yeshiva University, he served for many years as a dayan on the Beth Din of America and was the founding rabbi of…
People in this episode
Host: Mark Trencher
Guest: Rabbi Dr. Michael J. Broyde
Topics covered
- tzniut
- communal standards
- Orthodox community
- diversity
- Jewish law
- women's dress
Keywords
- tzniut
- Rabbi Dr. Michael J. Broyde
- Orthodox community
- Jewish ethics
- women's hair covering
- diversity
- communal standards
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Emory University School of Law, Columbia University, Yeshiva University, Beth Din of America
Books & works: Splitting Hairs
Places: Atlanta, U.S.
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