Nudity at home?

Question

I have read that Hashem hates public nudity, but what is the Jewish position on nudity at home in front of other family members?

Obviously, the short answer is bad, don't do it. Modesty is a fundamental Jewish behavioural trait, so we should strive to avoid entirely or minimise to the extreme actual or suggested nudity at all times.

I am looking for sources which address this issue directly, perhaps referring to a child's shame before a parent or vice versa, or how spouses should dress before each other.

These related questions deal with the 'nakedness' of a married woman's hair at home, but not specifically with actual nudity at home:

• Woman's hair covering in the home or in private
• Married woman covering hair

Nakedness in front of holy items like books, other writings, mezuzot, tefillin, etc. is not what I'm asking about, but would make an excellent follow-up question.

Answer 1

You have to get dressed in the way that your naked areas won't be exposed. You aren't allowed to say, "I am in my innermost room; who can see me?" G-d can see you. Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 2:1-2.

Answer 2

Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 240:4 (The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of R' Ganzfried (150:5) quotes him verbatim, and I'm quoting the translation of the Kitzur by R' Eliyahu Touger):

It is forbidden to look at a woman's genitalia. Any person who looks at a woman's genitalia has no shame and violates the charge [Micha 6:8] "Walk modestly with your God." Going against this natural tendency for embarrassment [is serious], because a person with this tendency will not sin, as [Shemot 20:17] states "For this reason, the awe of Him [i.e., the tendency to modesty] shall be upon you, so that you shall not sin". Furthermore, such a person encourages his evil inclination to take control of him.

It follows, therefore, that a woman shouldn't ever appear in front of her husband completely naked.

I'm having a harder time sorting out what the halachot would be when she's nearly naked. Since there are to be halachot when she's in niddah prohibiting him from seeing parts of her body that are usually kept covered, there may be a diyuk that permits it when she's permitted to him.

On the other hand, there's a prohibition against having marital relations when there's light in the room, a halacha which stems from v'ahavta l'reyacha kamocha since maybe he'll see something about her that disgusts him. There are two halachot that stem from v'ahavta l'reyacha kamocha with the specific concern that maybe he'll see something about her that disgusts him: it's the source of the prohibition of having martial relations when there's light in the room, and it's also the reason for the requirement that a man see his prospective bride before marrying her (Kiddushin 41a). Consequently, it seems to me on the machmir side that maybe he shouldn't see any part of her that he would not have been allowed to see before they were married, so that he won't turn out to be disgusted by something he couldn't see before they got married. I'll need to ask my rav about this.

I'm sure that a woman and her daughter presents a different situation (which is possibly more lenient). A woman and her son is almost certainly more machmir above a certain age.

Answer 3

@b a's answer is correct, but I would like to add a few comments from Rav Moshe Feinstein.

See אגרות משה יורה דעה חלק ג סימן מז, אות ג׳, in which Rav Moshe was asked regarding the Halacha that one must get dressed under his blanket, so as not to stand completely naked (the common practice in the times of the Gemara to sleep naked). Rav Moshe responds that re: covering nakedness while not davening, we only follow what is acceptable in society. So if something is accepted as normal in society, it is permitted to do it at home not during davening. Rav Moshe repeats this rule in אגרות משה יורה דעה חלק ג סימן סח סי׳ ד׳. Just to quote the exact words in which he says this:

שו"ת אגרות משה יורה דעה חלק ג סימן מז

אבל אם אין חושבין זה לגנאי כשיושב כן בביתו אין להחשיב זה לגנאי ויכול להיות כן בביתו אף בלא עטוף כלל על מקומות אלו דיש חלוק גדול לאינשי בין כשיושב בביתו אף בזמן שנכנסין אצלו אינשי ובין כשהולך בשוק או לבתי אחרים לא רק באופן הבגדים אלא גם במקומות מהגוף.

Answer 4

Don't forget about fostering respect in one's household. Husbands are expected to respect their wives (Rambam Hilchot Ishut 15:20), and wives their husbands (ibid 19), and children their parents (5th commandment). One should also have respect for one's children.

I don't think I need to bring a source, but if a person is galavanting around their home in their underwear or even naked, this will create a big stumbling block for one's household to be able to maintain their respect for this person.