Rabbi Hanina believed, "As soon as a man takes a wife his sins are stopped up," (Swidler 7). This means that taking a wife can get rid of a man's sins. If women are thought of as being able to do this then they are looked up to, not down upon. .
There is a rabbinic saying that a pious man and woman were married but they couldn't have children so they got divorced. The man married a wicked woman and he became wicked. The woman married a wicked man and the man became pious (Swidler 8). This shows that women have more effect on people than men do, and that men are more easily corrupted than women. .
In the Jewish religion women are supposed to be treated with respect. Rabbi Rothenberg stated that, "A Jew must honor his wife if one strikes one's wife, one should be punished more severely than for striking another person," (Rudavsky 17). This shows that abusive husbands are not tolerated in the Jewish religion. Rabbi Simhah agrees with Rabbi Rothenberg. He thought that is a man beats his wife it is a more serious offence that if he assaults another person, because not only is he guilty of assault but has also broken his promise to honor his wife. In fact, if a Jewish man beats his wife he is encouraged to divorce her (Biale 94). Acording to these Rabbis wife abuse is not tolerated in Judaism. Since Rabbis opinions are highly respected by the Orthodox, wife beating is also not accepted in Orthodox Judaism.
Rabbi Hirsch said that, "If women are not allowed to move around much in public, this from fear of misbehaviors not on their part but on the part of the men," (Swidler 11). Traditionally Jewish women are expected to wear sleeves at least to the elbow, blouses or dresses with necklines that do not expose any cleavage and skirts that cover the knees when seated. This is not because a woman's body is sinful but rather that men are weak, and if they see too much of a woman's skin it would arouse desires and distract them.