So now it appears that some Ultra-orthodox women in the glorious uber-ghettos of Jerusalem have taken to wearing the burkah, but they call it a "frumka". Here we go again.Will the lust for piety never end? How about being pious on the inside, ladies? Oh but no one will see how pious you are that way. So, in order to show it you'll dress up in sheets from head to toe, huh. Except that no one will know it's you under all that...unless you have your name embroidered on the front.
Honestly, do we need to slavishly imitate every "piety" we see? I hate to tell you this, but what you're doing is hukas ha goyim according to halacha. For you gentile readers, that means "imitating the (idolatrous) customs of other cultures, etc, according to Jewish Law". It doesn't matter how "pious" the custom is, either. Remember, Rabbi Pappas (I think) was severely criticized for following the gentile custom of locking his wife and daughters in the house when he went out; this comes from the days of the Mishna, mind you---nearly two thousand years ago. Do we need another "Chumrah of the Month"? What do you accomplish with all this "piety"? I would think that Crazy Orthodoxy would have more than enough restrictions to satisfy your need for martyrdom.
If you persist, and the rabbis finally approve of it, you will have imprisoned all Orthodox women and girls on a mere whim. Don't for one minute think that there aren't rabbis who would love to impose more restrictions on you. After all, according to the Kitzer Shulcan Aruch it's perfectly legitimate for women to hold their own minyons---until a bunch of oh so "machmir" rabbis forbade it. Aside from Isserles's silly prohibition for women to be given aliyot, the original even states that handling a Sefer Torah is fine for women as well. Do we really want to look like the above photo? Think! Besides, Muslim women will be offended---and for good reason. Let's not start something we might regret down the road. (Note: I apologize for altering the photo and hope its creator will understand)
