When Judah saw her [Tamar], he thought that she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. (38:15) Our Sages said that Tamar covered her face while in her father-in-law’s house.⁸ 10a. Tamar was exceedingly modest while in Yehuda’s house, and constantly covered her face with a veil. Thus, when she pretended to be a harlot, she merely had to uncover her face to deceive him. When the Baal Shem Tov was in Istanbul,⁹ he saw young Torah scholars who had the souls of Tannaim,¹⁰ due to the great modesty of the women there.¹¹ Midrash Pinchas HaChadash 28

footnotes: ⁸ Sotah ⁹ During his aborted trip to the Land of Israel. ¹⁰ The Tannaim were the Sages of the Land of Israel from the first to third centuries, such as Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Eliezer the Great, Rabbi Yishmael, and whose statements comprise the Mishnah. They were among the greatest souls in Jewish history. ¹¹ This is based upon the principle that modesty, both on the part of men and women, enables a couple to bring down holy souls to their children. The Talmud tells the story of Kimchit, who would cover her hair even in her house, and who deserved to have seven sons who served as High Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. From Tamar, as well, came the King David, and eventually, the Messiah.